Hoake ki te Taiao
City Nature Challenge

Wellington is taking part in the global wildlife count, City Nature Challenge. Find out how to get involved.

Illustration of a Kereru and various flora and fauna to advertise the City Nature Challenge.

Hoake ki te Taiao
City Nature Challenge

26 – 29 April 2024

There is nature all around us! Knowing what species are in our city and where they are helps us study and protect them. One way to do that is through citizen science projects which identify and document the wild things in our city.

In April 2024, Wellington will take on the global wildlife count, City Nature Challenge 2024.

The City Nature Challenge is an annual global event where cities compete to see who can log the most nature observations on iNaturalist over four days. The City Nature Challenge is a wonderful way to connect to Te Taiao, and taking part is simple.

All you need to do is:

  • explore wildlife between Friday 26 and Monday 29 April 2024
  • take a photo of what you find
  • share it to the iNaturalist app.

By participating in the City Nature Challenge, not only do you learn more about your local nature, but you can also make your city a better place – for you and other species.

Keep up to date with how we are doing in the challenge and join our project on iNaturalist.

2024 Discovery Events

Ōtari Night Exploration

Āhea | When  Friday 26 April, 5pm-7.30pm
Ki hea | Where  Meeting point - Tāne Whakapiripiri, Ōtari Visitor Centre
Te utu | Cost  Free

Come and listen to the birds settling into bed and the Ruru coming out. Look closely to see the glow worms lighting up the side of the stream. Come and listen, come and explore, come and connect to nature. We will be joined by entomologist William Brocklesby, friends from Te Papa, and Ōtari trust.

This is a whānau friendly event. Bring walking shoes, warm layers, and your phone or camera.

Taputeranga Rock Pooling

Āhea | When  Saturday 27 April, 10am-12pm
Ki hea | Where  Meeting point – Taputeranga Snorkel Trail (Opposite 194 The Esplanade, Island Bay)
Te utu | Cost  Free

We will explore the rock pools and areas around the snorkel trail at Taputeranga marine reserve. Come and discover creatures like sea stars, crabs, fish, seaweed, and maybe even an octopus. Come and listen, come and explore, come and connect to nature. We will be joined by experts from Mountains to Sea, Te Papa, and NIWA.

This is a whānau friendly event. Bring closed shoes, a sunhat, warm layers, and your phone or camera.

Ōtari Guided Exploration

Āhea | When  Sunday 28 April, 10am-12pm
Ki hea | Where  Meeting point - Tāne Whakapiripiri, Ōtari Visitor Centre
Te utu | Cost  Free

Join local experts Lara and Leon from Te Papa who will be guiding us through the native ngahere of Ōtari, from looking at the big trees through to the little ferns and mosses, as well as the fungi and animals around them. Come and listen, come and explore, come and connect to nature.

This is a whānau friendly event. Bring walking shoes, a sunhat, warm layers, and your phone or camera.

Fungi Guided Exploration

Āhea | When  Sunday 28 April, 2pm-4pm
Ki hea | Where  Meeting point - Wightwick’s field, Trellisick Park. Via Waikowhai Street entrance, near Crofton Downs Park and Ride
Te utu | Cost  Free

Dr Geoff Ridley will be guiding us through Trellisick Park to learn about the fungi kingdom. Local experts from Te Papa will be joining us to see what bugs other wonders we can find. Come and listen, come and explore, come and connect to nature.

This is a whānau friendly event. Bring walking shoes, a sunhat, warm layers, and your phone or camera.

For information about community-led discovery events, see our iNaturalist project journal.

2023 results

In 2023, Wellington City Council worked with regional partners to grow the City Nature Challenge in our region, expanding the target area to include everywhere within the Greater Wellington Regional Council boundary.

Over 12,000 observations were uploaded on the iNaturalist app in Te Upoko o te Ika, and a total of 2,223 species were recorded by 263 observers. See the full results from the campaign on the iNaturalist website.


Share your nature discoveries with iNaturalist

We're always finding new species living in Wellington. Use iNaturalist to record your observations of special species you find outdoors. If you’re not sure what something is, other users can help identify it for you.

iNaturalist helps the user to identify plants and animals and record observations. iNaturalist is connecting Wellingtonians to a larger community of scientists and experts from all over the globe. iNaturalist is like the ‘Instagram for nature lovers’ and promotes the crowdsourcing of species identification.

Data from iNaturalist helps Universities and Councils understand where species may occur, and how we can better plan for, and protect Te Whanganui-a-Tara.

Download the iNaturalist app for Android

Download the iNaturalist app for Apple

Read the instructions for making an observation using the app and website and watch a video on how to use the app on your phone.

Check out some images from iNaturalist below.