Thank You
Thank you for visiting Agrodome and the National Kiwi Hatchery in Rotorua. We are honoured that you have come to visit and explore our farm, and Agrodome is proud to be home to the National Kiwi Hatchery – New Zealand’s largest and most successful kiwi hatchery, raising over 100 kiwi chicks every year to be released into the wild. The kiwi bird is New Zealand’s national icon and is protected in New Zealand. They play an important part in many Maori myths and legends and are an important part in our culture, a taonga (treasure). Your visit today has helped fund the valuable work that the National Kiwi Hatchery does for this important icon – Thank you.
About the kiwi
On your visit you had the opportunity to spot three kiwi. The three kiwi in the nocturnal (dark) area are all from our resident pair of breeding kiwi: Morehu and Patai.
Our kiwi:
- “Tapairu” meaning ‘First Born’. Tapairu is a very special kiwi having been the first kiwi to hatch at this site. She hatched on May 5th, 2024 and weighs around 1.3kg
- “Karewa” meaning ‘Floating’. He was saved as an egg during a bad storm in Rotorua when the egg was found floating in the nesting box. The kiwi keepers rescued the egg, placed it in an incubator and successfully hatched the egg! He hatched on May 30th, 2024
- “Te Kau” the Maori translation for the number 10. Te Kau was the 10th egg to hatch from our breeding pair Morehu and Patai. She is 1.7kg in weight and hatched on December 4th, 2023.
On this page are some exclusive photographs of our kiwi for you to download and enjoy. If you would like to learn more about the kiwi, and other opportunities where you could help, please visit the National Kiwi Hatchery website.
Click on the image(s) below to download.
