Local Connections: Zealandia Eco Reserve & Otari Wilton Bush

The great outdoors beckons on this exhilarating four-hour outdoor adventure. A quick motorcoach ride takes you to the Zealandia: Karori Sanctuary Experience. Just minutes from downtown Wellington yet worlds away from everyday life, Zealandia, a 550-acre interactive eco-sanctuary, is nestled within a lush valley and protected by a five-mile predator-proof fence. Created with the mission to restore Wellington's forest and freshwater ecosystems to their pristine state, it is centered on a sparkling reservoir, home to some of New Zealand's rarest and most exotic wildlife, experienced on a two-hour guided tour. Reboard the motorcoach for a short ride to the Otari Native Botanic Garden and Wilton's Bush Reserve. Stroll through the only public botanic garden in New Zealand dedicated solely to native plants. Classified as a Garden of National Significance by the Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture, it boasts a 246-foot canopy walkway, rising over 59 feet above the forest floor, linking two garden areas. Return to port.