We trap for them 💚
Aotearoa’s taonga species, found nowhere else in the world.
Their uniqueness makes them precious, but also vulnerable.
For thousands of years, they thrived without predators - until rats, stoats, and possums were introduced 🐀
Now, trapping is one of the most effective ways we can protect them 🪤
“This gives our native wildlife a lifeline to survive. If we did not trap, we would lose our unique bird, lizard, plant and insect species forever” - Ewan Mackie, RealNZ Sustainability Lead.
It’s a privilege to walk through New Zealand’s forests surrounded by birdsong, but we can’t forget those songs used to be louder 🦜
We all have a role in protecting what we have and restoring what we’ve lost.
You can help by trapping at home, volunteering with a local conservation group, or simply learning more. Every action counts towards ensuring a future for our birds 🌍
We hope your birding plans go a bit smoother than this 💔
And so you’re prepared for when they do, here are some things you can do to help bring more birds to the yard ✨
🌱 Planting: Source plants that occur naturally in your area, and and think about the food that the plant will supply. For instance, fruit and flowering trees will attract birds like tūī, korimako, and tauhou.
🍃 Leaf litter: when leaves fall off your plants and shrubs, don’t clean them up. Let a layer of mulch build up over time to boost insect populations - a great food source for birds!
💧 Offer hydration: Put a sugar-water feeder in your backyard, or just a water bath to help birds stay hydrated in the summer.
🚫 No human food: Things like bread, seeds, and grains attract introduced birds to the yard, and these outcompete natives. Honey should also be avoided, birds love it but so do bees, and this can lead to cross-contamination.
Tag your bird-loving pals.
Tweet it’s Conservation Week! 🦜
✨ Comment and be in to WIN! ✨
It’s Conservation Week here in Aotearoa, and we want to hear what you’re getting up to!
For nearly 70 years, you’ve joined us in exploring some of the most incredible parts of New Zealand, fallen in love with nature alongside us and learned about what we can do to help it thrive.
The next step is to act! 👇
1. Let us know in the comments what you have planned for conservation week 🌱
2. Tag a friend who should do it with you 🙋
You’ll go into the draw to WIN 2x seats on a Doubtful Sound Wilderness Cruise! ⛰️
In need of some conservation inspiration? Tap to stop the reel and let our post decide what you’re getting up to!
Visit Milford Sound your way ⛰️
Whether you want to fly there, stay the night, or enjoy the views from a roof-top beer garden, make it your dream experience.
Head to the link below and take our Milford Sound Cruise Quiz to see which cruise suits you best
https://www.realnz.com/en/blog/milford-sound-cruise-quiz/ 🔗
🎥 Roady
Be in to WIN!
Dip your toes into Queenstown’s annual open water swimming race, The Whakatipu Legend 🏊
Nothing short of legendary, this annual event is one of Aotearoa’s most scenic open water swimming races! You’ll also get a taste of history, as Queenstown’s vintage icon, the TSS Earnslaw, takes you to the races start line. Soak up the views among other enthusiasts before jumping off the bow of the 111-year-old steamship into the refreshing water below you. Embrace the chill and swim as fast as you can to the finish line 🏁
Want to be a Whakatipu Legend? We’re giving you the chance to WIN 2x race entries so you can be part of this incredible event.
To enter:
1. Comment with a 🏊
2. Tag your swimming buddy
and you’re in the draw!
Entries close Tuesday 3 September, terms and conditions apply and can be found in the comments below.
The Deep South offers one of the darkest locations in the world to view the night sky 🌌
The remoteness of locations such as Piopiotahi Milford Sound, Pātea Doubtful Sound and Rakiura Stewart Island mean that light pollution isn’t an issue. This makes them incredible places to see the night sky and even the Aurora Australis on occasion ⭐️
Who are you bringing here?
That’s like exactly what we’re going for
It’s tawaki (Fiordland crested penguin) spotting season!
These tuxedo-wearing cuties are one of Aotearoa’s rarest mainland penguins 🐧
July through to November is their breeding season, and when they are most likely to be spotted by people. This little guy was sighted on one of our Pātea Doubtful Sound Cruises!
Have you ever seen one?
It rains more than 200 days of the year in Piopiotahi Milford Sound, accumulating roughly 7,000 mm of rain annually. That’s over twice what the Amazon rainforest gets, making Milford one of the wettest places on the planet ☔️
But with the rain come thousands of temporary waterfalls, moody skies, and incredible rainbows - so pack a rain jacket and immerse yourself in the elements 🌈
You know your morning coffee will definitely taste better here ☕️
And now you can visit for 30% off! Put in Doubtful30 at the checkout to save on your Overnight Cruise ✨
Calling all past, present, and future Pātea Doubtful Sound visitors! Thank you for contributing to conservation 🌿
For every guest that visits Doubtful Sound with us, we donate $1 to the Leslie Hutchins Conservation Foundation who put the funds back into the Fiordland community.
Trapping efforts, species monitoring, and education for local schools are just a few projects that your contributions are going toward, but every dollar counts toward safeguarding this incredible place and its communities - kia ora 💚
When you visit the eighth wonder of the world, you can tick “driving through a mountain” off your bucket list too ✨
Come for the wilderness, stay for the night 🌙
It’s often said that stepping into Pātea Doubtful Sound is like stepping into another world ✨
Popular opinion: Milford Sound is better in the rain ☔️
🎥 @lucien_redon
New emotion unlocked: FOMO if you aren’t here 💙
Take on Nature: Doubtful Sound
This is Pātea Doubtful Sound ✨
We recently sent three content creators to this paradise on earth, where they were challenged to find the best in nature in a 72-hour content creation showdown 📸
Head to the link below to see their entries, vote for your favourite, and be in to WIN a $1,000 RealNZ travel voucher so you too can experience places just like this!
This is Take on Nature: Doubtful Sound 🌿
🔗 https://www.realnz.com/en/lp/take-on-nature/
Take on Nature | Doubtful Sound, New Zealand
3 creators, 2 nights cruising Aotearoa's best-kept secret, 1 public-voted competition, and a huge giveaway! This is Take on Nature: Doubtful Sound 🌿
Meet challenger Seb Gower, who has captured the unmatched beauty of Fiordland with a brush, a canvas, and a palette full of incredible, unique colours. Seb calls this piece, ''Doubtful Sound, New Zealand'' 🎨
"The reflections mimic every colour of this place, dancing with them - bringing the hues of the highest peaks and resting them near my feet, that’s why over half the canvas is given to the water of Doubtful Sound. I wanted you to feel it welcoming you too."
Whose take on nature is your favourite? See the other creations and vote via the link below to be in to WIN a $1000 RealNZ travel voucher to spend on experiences just like these!
🔗 https://www.realnz.com/en/lp/take-on-nature/
Take on Nature | Fly You Fools
3 creators, 2 nights cruising Aotearoa's best-kept secret, 1 public-voted competition, and a huge giveaway! This is Take on Nature: Doubtful Sound 🌿
Meet challenger Bryan Mosheim, a photographer, creative, and real Lego enthusiast.
His take on nature, 'Fly You Fools', connects Fiordland with the stories it's inspired.
"While being immersed in Doubtful Sound, I was instantly transported back to the first Hobbit movie".
If you're familiar with the films, you might already know that Bryan has put his own spin on Gandalf and Bilbo’s epic moments soaring with the eagles over ‘Middle Earth’ and its incredible mountain ranges 🦅
Whose take on nature is your favourite? See the other creations and vote via the link below to be in to WIN a $1000 RealNZ travel voucher to spend on experiences just like these!
🔗 https://www.realnz.com/en/lp/take-on-nature/
