Wildbase Recovery, opened in 2018, is the public-facing arm of Massey University's wildlife veterinary hospital — one of the largest of its kind in the southern hemisphere. The centre sits within the Victoria Esplanade and rehabilitates sick and injured native birds, mostly delivered by the Department of Conservation, before releasing them back to their home territories.
Visitors walk through a series of glass-fronted aviaries housing patients at different stages of recovery — kererū with broken wings, kākā with lead poisoning, hihi recovering from illness — while a recovery board explains each bird's case history. It is genuinely educational, occasionally heartbreaking, and free to enter. Best in mid-morning when the staff are doing their daily rounds.