Established in 1972, Staglands Wildlife Reserve & Café is a unique nature experience nestled in the isolated Akatarawa Valley. The reserve is home to a range of animal species, including domesticated animals, farm animals, and endangered native birds such as the kea, kaka, and whio (blue duck). Staglands runs several conservation programs to protect and preserve these native birds, and you can learn all about them as you walk through the reserve’s various enclosures, all surrounded by the Akatarawa bush. Deep in the reserve you can also find a secluded Old Bush Settlement, a re-creation of the bush settlements that occupied this forest in the mid-19th century. Children can take a boxcar railway around the settlement, and families young and old can enjoy free off-road