White Heron Sanctuary Tours Blog

The location of New Zealand's only Kōtuku (White Heron) breeding colony was largely unknown to Europeans. Following an expedition along the Waitangiroto River on 30 December 1865, a young surveyor Gerhard Mueller wrote the earliest known written account of the colony in a letter to his wife, "Bannie" who was living in Invercargill. His letter provides a fascinating first-hand description of the Kōtuku colony and the surrounding rainforest. Kōtuku nesting colony in the Waitang