Whakatāne Kiwi Trust Night Walks - Mokorua Bush Scenic Reser

Don't hibernate this winter! Wrap up warm, grab a torch and explore the REAL Whakatāne Night Life scene with the Whakatāne Kiwi Trust!

Come along and learn about our local kiwi population and the work being done by our amazing volunteers to protect our national icon and other native taonga. Listen carefully and if you’re lucky you might even hear the call of kiwi or weka! Kiwi isn't the only stars of the show though, you'll also discover nocturnal creepy-crawlies like spiders and wētā and incredible glow-in-the-dark fungi!

Directions to the meeting point on White Horse Drive:

From Whakatāne: Head up Gorge Road and take the first right onto White Horse Drive. (approximately two minutes from the start of Gorge Road) Drive to the end of the road and park in the car parks provided.

From Ōhope: Head up Gorge Road - follow the road around until you come to White Horse Drive on the left (approximately four minutes from the start of Gorge Road). Drive to the end of the road and park in the car parks provided.

Please note that a reasonable level of physical fitness is required as we will be going off the public tracks and this may not be suitable for children under the age of 8. Whilst the Trust team will have first aid kits, please bring any personal medication you may require (e.g. asthma inhalers). Finally, don’t forget to wear warm clothing and footwear (e.g. NOT sandals or jandals) and bring a torch, some snacks, a drink and a camera!

In the event of poor weather or unforeseen circumstances, the Whakatāne Kiwi Trust reserves the right to cancel a walk. This will be notified by a phone call to those people who have booked on the walk.

We at the Whakatāne Kiwi Trust are thrilled we are now able to undertake our night walks during Alert Level 2. However, we must ensure all individuals are aware of their responsibilities for the duration of the walk to ensure we stick within the government guidelines surrounding COVID-19.
Our first priority is the health, safety and wellbeing of our visitors and guides. As such we kindly ask that everybody adheres to our hygiene guidelines. As a public venue, we must comply with conditions on gathering and undertake appropriate health measures, this means:
- Maintaining a register of all visitors, going on the night walks to ensure contact tracing can be conducted if necessary
- Minimise the risk of transmission of COVID-19 through a good standard of general hygiene that includes:
- Using hand sanitizer (this will be provided)
- Sterilization of all equipment after use
- Sneeze and cough into your elbow
- Keep your distance from other people (1-2m)
- If you are sick, stay home
- A safety briefing will be conducted prior to the walk commencing outlining the requirements around social distancing, hygiene and emergency procedures. If you feel the need to wear a mask or latex gloves, please bring your own as these will not be provided.
As health and safety is our top priority we will be limiting the number of people on the walk and reducing the event to two hours. Unfortunately, we have also made the decision to receive bookings only from groups made up of two or more people. This is to ensure we can keep the 1-2m social distancing guidelines, especially if an individual requires assistance on the track.
If you have any questions regarding the above please contact the Whakatāne Kiwi Trust:
volunteer@whakatanekiwi.org.nz

Thanks, We look forward to meeting you all
The Night Walks Team