Taiaroa Head

Ruins of former coastal defences are located nearby, notably a restored Armstrong disappearing gun emplacement built in 1886 following a scare that New Zealand might be invaded by the Russians.

The part of Taiaroa Head where northern royal albatrosses breed is managed by the NZ Department of Conservation as a nature reserve with restricted entry.

On adjacent land the Otago Peninsula Trust manage a visitor centre and run guided tours into the Nature Reserve.

[1] Since they first successfully raised a chick at Taiaroa Head, royal albatross numbers have increased due to intensive management by reserve rangers.

As time has progressed intensive wildlife husbandry methods such as are found in any threatened species programme have been developed and refined.