Wildlife sanctuaries are rarely found in the centre of a big city. Yet Zealandia in the inner city suburb of Karori, Wellington, is home of some of New Zealand’s rarest species – including animals that had been extinct on the mainland for more than a century.

The sanctuary is ringed by a predator-proof fence. That’s allowed park rangers to clear non-native mammals and reintroduce species such as the extremely rare Takahe and the iconic Kiwis.

Wildlife sanctuaries are rarely found in the centre of a big city. Yet Zealandia in the inner city suburb of Karori, Wellington, is home of some of New Zealand’s rarest species – including animals that had been extinct on the mainland for more than a century.

The sanctuary is ringed by a predator-proof fence. That’s allowed park rangers to clear non-native mammals and reintroduce species such as the extremely rare Takahe and the iconic Kiwis.

Created in 1995, Zealandia now protects more than 30 species of native or endemic birds, endangered reptiles and amphibians, thousands of invertebrates and many hundreds of indigenous plants. Not all the have been reintroduced with human help – some are now recolonising the sanctuary naturally.

The whole idea of Zealandia is to return the forest to the state it would have been before humans arrived about 1000 years ago.

You can see how this valley might have looked on giant screens in the visitor centre where animation brings to life the long-dead giant moa and enormous Haast's eagle.

The whole sanctuary is run by the not-for-profit Karori Wildlife Trust.