Ashleigh shares her love for the Waitākere Ranges | Matariki

Ashleigh’s ‘happy place’ is when she’s birdwatching in the Waitākere Ranges!

She’s spent a lot of time in this ngahere (forest) surveying for the endangered and elusive kōkako as part of the Ark in the Park annual census. This involved a lot of waiting and listening – but when she heard the first bird call of the day, it was something special.

“Nowadays, our world is so fast paced, and we're all so busy with our work, with social media, there's so much going on. It's very difficult to find the time to actually just sit and take a breath and appreciate where you are. And it's so important, I think, for your physical and your mental wellbeing to come out into nature and reconnect,” she explains.

We’d love all Kiwis to take the time to renew, reflect and connect with Papatūānuku!