Tuatara
Tuatara
Sphenodon punctatus
Their Story
Tuatara are Aotearoa’s most iconic reptile — living descendants of a lineage that predates the dinosaurs. Once widespread across the mainland, they now survive on offshore islands and in protected sanctuaries like Brook Waimārama. 65 tuatara were reintroduced to the Sanctuary, with 35 more arriving soon. Their presence marks a major milestone in mainland restoration — returning this taonga species to its ancestral home in the Nelson region after more than a century of absence.
Conservation Status
Tuatara are classified as At Risk – Recovering under the New Zealand Threat Classification System. Their slow breeding and inactivity in the cold make them vulnerable to pest predation pressure.
Population
Historically found throughout Aotearoa, tuatara came close to extinction after the introduction of rats. Today, they are restricted to predator-free islands and pest-free mainland sanctuaries. Takapourewa / Stephens island has the largest population of Tuatara in the world, with around 30,000 or more individuals. The Brook Waimārama Sanctuary is home to 65 and soon 35 more, totally 100 Tuatara.
Food
Tuataras are carnivorous, opportunistic predators that primarily eat invertebrates like beetles, wētā, worms, millipedes, and spiders, but their diet also includes lizards, seabird eggs, and chicks, sometimes even their own young, using their specialized teeth to crunch hard insects and ambush prey.
Tuatara are often mistaken for lizards but belong to their own ancient order, Rhynchocephalia, now only found in New Zealand. Adults can reach up to 80 cm in length and weigh well over 1 kg. They are variably coloured, with a grey-olive base colour, and accents of yellow, orange, greens and pinks. A dorsal crest runs along their spine, being more prominent in males. Tuatara have a third “parietal eye” on the top of the head — a light-sensitive organ thought to help regulate circadian rhythms and seasonal behaviour, or perhaps detect aerial predators.
Tuatara spend their days in burrows or basking just outside, venturing out under the cover of darkness. They feed on invertebrates, beetles, wētā, spiders, and occasionally lizards or birds. Tuatara are cold-adapted, remaining active at temperatures too low for most reptiles, a unique adaptation to New Zealand’s cooler climate. Tuatara create disturbance in the soil, often clearing shrubs and digging deep burrows. This disturbance, alongside that of seabirds which once nested across the motu, provides opportunities for specialist plants to establish.
Tuatara are famously long-lived and slow to reproduce. Adults reach maturity around 13–20 years old. Breeding occurs every five years, with females laying up to 18 leathery eggs in shallow holes, which are subsequently buried. Tuatara may live in the forest, but will travel long distances to lay their eggs in an open area where the sun can heat up the earth and incubate their eggs. It takes 12–15 months for tuatara to hatch. The temperature during development will determine the sex of the offspring, with warmer temperatures producing male offspring and cooler temperatures producing females. Hatchlings emerge during summer, and individuals can live for more than 100 years.
Historically found throughout Aotearoa, tuatara came close to extinction after the introduction of rats. Today, they are restricted to predator-free islands and pest-free mainland sanctuaries. Takapourewa / Stephens island has the largest population of Tuatara in the world, with around 30,000 or more individuals. Tuatara have been reintroduced to many islands and mainland sanctuaries that have been made pest-free.
Tuatara are classified as At Risk – Recovering under the New Zealand Threat Classification System. Their slow breeding and inactivity in the cold make them vulnerable to pest predation pressure. Climate change poses an emerging risk as tuatara egg incubation temperature determines hatchling sex, and warmer conditions could skew populations towards males.
The tuatara already thriving within the Sanctuary represent a successful partnership with Ngāti Koata, kaitiaki of tuatara from Takapourewa.. These reptiles are ambassadors of long-term restoration — living proof that ancient species can return to restored landscapes given the removal of pest mammals.
🦎 Tuatara can hold their breath for over an hour and live well beyond 100 years.
Our other residents
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Win prizes for your best summer photo at the Sanctuary 📸🏆☀️
This season, we want to see the Sanctuary through your lens — the bright light through the canopy, the textures of the forest floor, and the tiny details that make summer feel alive.
Enter our Summer Photography Competition (part of our Sanctuary Seasons series) and you could win:
🏆 Instant camera (Junior Photography winner)
🌙 Family ticket to a guided night tour
📰 Feature in our newsletter + social media
🖼️ Printed display at the Visitor Centre
📅 Entries close 28 February - Submit your entries via our website: Link in bio
Photo credit: Helen Power - Entry from the spring photography competition
#BrookWaimāramaSanctuary #SanctuarySeasons #Ngahere #NaturePhotography #NZWildlife #NelsonTasman #VisitNelson #NZHikes #EcoTourismNZ #ConservationStorytelling
Feb 4
Looking for a unique and memorable date night? 🌙🌲
This February, we’re introducing Date Me Darling — private, curated date nights inside the Sanctuary at dusk.
Three styled locations. One couple at a time. You’ll have a styled spot along the main loop track, locally sourced food and drinks, a few games to share, and time to slow down together as the forest shifts into evening.
Beech Glade: for when you want the world to fall away — deeply hidden, totally private, just you and the hush of the forest.
River: crystal clear water, canopy above, flickering lights — the kind of setup you usually only see on Instagram.
Meadow: open sky, long grass, and the forest standing quietly at the edges like it knows not to interrupt.
Bookings are open now (limited spaces in February only so don’t miss out!): Link in bio
#DateMeDarling #NelsonNZ #NelsonTasman #ThingsToDoNelson #DateNightIdeas #NatureLovers #SupportLocalNZ #ConservationNZ #BrookWaimāramaSanctuary
Feb 3
Two cute to be true?
Brook Waimārama Sanctuary and @savethekiwinz teams have been busy over the past few days tracking and recapturing kiwi to remove their transmitters. Thanks to a huge team effort, all ten males were recaptured within just three days.
Some nest burrows held a surprise or two — in several cases a female was present, and a couple even contained chicks. One burrow amazed us all, with not one but two adorable chicks 😍
All chicks are fully independent at this stage of the season, and after quick health checks and transmitter removal, all adult kiwi were safely returned to their burrows.
This special footage was captured by kiwi handler Tamsin from Save the Kiwi, who led the transmitter removal mahi.
We estimate the 20 females and 21 males released in May last year have already produced around 10–15 kiwi pukupuku (little spotted kiwi) chicks in their very first breeding season — a strong sign the habitat is just right.
With transmitters now removed from all ten males, the kiwi are completely free, with no further handling needed. Annual kiwi call counts by staff and volunteers will help track the growing population across our 690 ha, ring-fenced, pest-free sanctuary.
Credit: Video courtesy of Tamsin Ward-Smith, Save the Kiwi
Thanks to our partnership with @terunangaotoa Ngati Toa and Save the Kiwi
#kiwipukupuku #littlespottedkiwi #brookwaimaramasanctuary #nelson #thetopofthesouth #conservation #biodiversity #nativebirds #natureloversnz #newzealandwildlife #pestfree #ringfencedsanctuary #conservationinaction
Jan 29
🎻 45 min string quartet concert at Brook Waimārama Sanctuary
Come and hear a dynamic young string quartet perform a 45 min concert at Brook Waimārama Sanctuary. We welcome everyone to come along, and bring anyone you think might be curious to hear some classical music in a relaxed environment.
The @antipodes.quartet is part of the Fellowship Ensemble Programme, a joint venture between the @adamchambermusicfestival, @newzealandstringquartet and @chambermusicnz, as a career-development experience offered to four of this country’s most promising young string players.
The Antipodes Quartet are Eden Annesley (violin), Mana Waiariki (violin), Tal Amoore (viola) and Lavinnia Rae (cello).
On this occasion, Brook Waimārama Sanctuary are welcoming everyone at local prices: Adult $15, Child $9; Family $35 (on the door)
Find out more: (Link in bio)
#BrookWaimāramaSanctuary #NelsonNZ #Whakatū #WhatsonNelson #NelsonTasman #LiveMusicNZ #ChamberMusicNZ #StringQuartet #ClassicalMusicNZ #AdamChamberMusicFestival #NewZealandStringQuartet #ChamberMusicNewZealand #FamilyFriendly #NatureAndCulture #SupportLocalArts
Jan 27
2026 Bug of the year is here!
The lesser known cousin to bird of the year has come around(wait till they hear about fish or fungus of the year). This showdown aims to highlight the critters that go underappreciated compared to celebrity species like kākāpō. We would like to highlight the strange and wonderful species that occur within the Sanctuary, with the hopes to earn your vote!
Kahuwai | Black Tunnelweb Spider
Porrhothele antipodiana
I have a mixed history with this incredible spider. One hairy individual decided that my jersey pocket was a great place to set up shop. It received a rude awakening upon the home invasion of my unaware hand. Its brilliant fangs pierced and invenomated my finger, and despite the swelling and the shock and the pain… I couldn’t help but feel bad for evicting the guy. Its hobbit-like hole dwelling nature led the spider to my soft, warm pocket. Ironically, but not surprisingly, this species was the inspiration for Peter Jackson’s ‘Shelob’ in the Lord of the Rings films.
Kahuwai, the black tunnelweb spider, forms dense sheets of silk surrounding their tunnels. These sheets are monitored by the spider, who detects vibrations of a passer by. Wētā, land hoppers and any other unlucky invertebrate. The kahuwai swiftly grabs its prey and drags it into the depths. This spider however is also the victim of the endemic golden hunter wasp, who paralyses the spider before dragging it into the wasp’s nest (talk about shoes on the other foot!) and laying an egg beside it. The spider then becomes baby formula.
Despite the bite, this amazing spider has my vote! Check out the New Zealand Bug Of the Year 2026 website! Voting closes on the 16th of February!
Photo: @henry._.hart (in the second image of Shelob`s lair you can see a giant pill millipede has fallen victim...)
#BrookWaimāramaSanctuary #BugOfTheYear
Jan 25
2026 Bug of the year is here!
The lesser known cousin to bird of the year has come around(wait till they hear about fish or fungus of the year). This showdown aims to highlight the critters that go underappreciated compared to celebrity species like kākāpō. We would like to highlight the strange and wonderful species that occur within the Sanctuary, with the hopes to earn your vote!
This candidate is the beautifully disguised Rō, the Two-Spined Stick Insect. Micrachus hystriculeus is endemic to central Aotearoa, most common from Nelson, through Marlborough and Wellington. Stick insects display a classic example of crypsis. That is, their behaviour and physiology work in tandem to remain completely undetected and unharmed. They feed on leaves high in the canopy of trees like kānuka. At night you can often spot them, usually with the small males riding on the backs of the much larger females.
All modern New Zealand stick insects are the relatives of two colonisation events from New Caledonia around 30 million years ago. They radiated into nine separate genera and dispersed into coastal, lowland and subalpine ecosystems throughout the motu. This species, alongside at least five other stick insect species, live out their slow and sticky lives within the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary.
Will you vote for Micrachus hystriculeus? Check out the New Zealand Bug Of the Year 2026 website! Voting closes on the 16th of February!
Stay tuned for our last candidate…
Photo: Saryu Mae - @invertebratist
#BrookWaimāramaSanctuary #BugOfTheYear
Jan 24
