Event details
- Sunday | February 1, 2026
- 10:00 am
- Matuku Link, 111 Bethells Rd, Waitakere, Auckland
This is a day of discovery, excitement, and free family fun. From engaging with VR headsets to admiring the resident eels, you’re invited to enjoy games and crafts for the kids as well as guided walks by experts to answer all your nature questions. Stallholders include Auckland Zoo, Birds New Zealand, Forest & Bird Waitākere, Arataki Visitor Centre, The Entomological Society, Mountains to Sea, Kauri Rescue, Auckland Council Biodiversity, and Pest Free Waitākere Ranges Alliance. There will be home baking, fresh coffee, and a barbeque (vegan and non-vegan).
As you wander the beautiful boardwalks and restored wetland habitat, you’ll see firsthand how much Matuku Link has changed, with over eight thousand volunteer hours per year spent restoring and protecting Te Henga Wetland and surrounding areas. Learn more about the remarkable birdlife, including pāteke (brown teal), spot a secretive pūweto (spotless crake), and you might even see the cryptic namesake, the matuku-hūrepo (Australasian bittern).
There will be an all-day market with gifts, food, art, information, and entertainment. All talks are free and everyone is welcome.
Matuku Link is a charitable trust which began in 2016 when four trustees bought a wetland and bush property after extensive fundraising. Through volunteer power, an old barn was converted into a Wetland Education Centre, two plant nurseries were built, and the old paddocks were replanted and transformed back into wetlands. With Jobs4Nature funding, boardwalks and accessible pathways were created for all to experience a part of Te Henga Wetland, Auckland’s largest mainland wetland.
Contact hello@matukulink.org.nz 022 692 2016
Image: Auckland Council