Pukaha National Wildlife Centre is a captive breeding facility and visitor centre on State Highway 2, about thirty kilometres north of Masterton. It sits inside the largest remaining stand of original lowland forest in the southern North Island — 942 hectares of intact bush that survived because it was set aside as a forest reserve in 1862.
The centre breeds threatened native birds — kiwi, kokako, kaka, takahe, and the critically endangered shore plover — for release back into predator-controlled bush around the country. The on-site nocturnal kiwi house gives you a near-guaranteed chance to see kiwi feeding in daylight, something almost impossible in the wild. The full visit is two to three hours and includes guided feedings of kaka and tuatara. Open daily; admission around NZ$25.
The reserve has several short walks through the forest. The track up to Mount Bruce summit takes about ninety minutes return and gives a sense of what the lower North Island looked like before farming.