Brook Waimārama Sanctuary
| Brook Waimārama Sanctuary | |
|---|---|
Bridge across the Brook Stream | |
| Location | New Zealand |
| Nearest city | Nelson |
| Coordinates | 41°18′55″S 173°17′30″E / 41.315185°S 173.291668°E |
| Area | 700 hectares (1,700 acres) |
| Elevation | 100 to 850 metres (330 to 2,790 ft) |
| Established | 2004 |
| Administered by | Brook Waimārama Sanctuary Trust |
| Open | Fri, Sat, Sun, 10am–4pm; Summer hours: 7 days, 9am–6pm |
| Habitats | Southern beech forest |
| Water | Brook Stream |
| Parking | At Visitor Centre |
| Public transit access | Route 4 to motor camp gate, 10 minute walk to Visitor Centre |
| Website | www.brooksanctuary.org.nz |
The Brook Waimārama Sanctuary is a nearly 700 hectare mainland "ecological island" sanctuary located 6 km south of Nelson, New Zealand. The sanctuary is the largest fenced sanctuary in New Zealand's South Island and the second largest in the country; it is the only sanctuary to feature mature New Zealand beech forest.
The Brook Waimārama Sanctuary Trust was established in 2004 with the intent of restoring the flora and fauna of the Brook Valley, a former water supply for Nelson with intact beech forest. A predator-proof fence was completed in 2016 at a cost of NZD $4.2 million, and introduced mammalian pests were eradicated from within the sanctuary in 2017. The sanctuary reopened to the public in 2018, and an entrance fee regime was introduced in 2020. Reintroductions of species such as the Okarito kiwi are planned.