Written by Meg Andrews & Mark Wilson

Nestled next to the serene Lake Pupuke and in the heart of Takapuna’s Killarney Park, The PumpHouse Theatre is well-known for its dazzling performances and rich history. But if you take a walk outside the theatre, you’ll find a treasure of wildlife in the roto, and pottering around the lush greenery of the park.

As you stroll through Killarney Park, you’ll likely encounter a vibrant display of birdlife – especially this time of the year with lots of new, extremely cute babies and their overprotective parents! The Kakīānau or Black Swan is a regular sight, sometimes causing chaos with visitors by chasing them through the park!

You’ll likely spot an array of different ducks – from gentle mallards to this guy:

You may also be lucky to hear or see Tūī who feed on the nectar of some of the park’s plants and trees. If you bring kai along to the park then watch out – you’ll have a flock of pigeons and seagulls ready to hound you for a bite – especially if you have fries! However, if you want to feed the birds it is best to trade chips or bread for salad greens and corn kernels, read more about how to safely feed birds here.

And of course, there are the cheeky geese & pūkeko, the tiny sparrows & pīwakawaka, and the legendary shag who is a common sight on the jetty in the mornings, spreading his wings for tourists to capture the perfect photo!

But it’s not just birds! As you’d expect, we have bugs a plenty, butterflies, koi and other lake life, possums who love to make an appearance during performances on our Amphitheatre stage, and countless dogs who bring their humans on walks through the park.

So, next time you’re visiting us at the theatre, be sure to take a moment to breathe in the nature that we are lucky to be surrounded by. Until then, enjoy these gorgeous photos taken by our Venue Operations Coordinator, Mark, along with the Haiku that they wrote for our upcoming poetry event: Love, Peace, and Protest.