Pristine virgin rainforest sets the backdrop for Wanganui’s most significant bird sanctuary. Nestled in the spacious parklike grounds lies Bushy Park homestead and forest. This is home to a number of species including kiwi, robins, saddlebacks, tui, bellbirds and kereru.

The estate features an edwardian home with restaurant and accommodation. Bushy Park homestead is a twenty-two roomed residence designed by the notable architect Charles Tilleard Natusch for Frank Moore, a well known Hereford cattle and racehorse breeder of Kai Iwi near Wanganui. It was built in 1906 by Messrs. Russell and Bignell of Wanganui at a cost of £4,566. Bushy Park’s design is more formal than most of Natusch’s houses due primarily to the influence of Moore who rejected Natusch’s initial design, preferring a more classical home of a Regency ‘come’ American Colonial style, incorporating classical columns. The home is constructed of timber on concrete foundations with a tiled roof. The interior features some fine panelling and a magnificent carved mantelpiece in the dining room, the work of W. Andrews of the Wanganui Technical School of Design. The homestead is a Category 1 with the Historic Places Trust and the stables are rated a Category 2.

Bushy Park remains the legacy of G Frank Moore who gifted his home and the bush surrounding it to the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society in the 1962. The Park is enriched with history and makes a significant contribution to the continuation of protecting the New Zealand icon – the kiwi.

Today Bushy Park Forest Reserve’s 98 hectares includes a very successful kiwi crèche, in addition to a fenced predatorfree sanctuary for New Zealand native birds.

The Bushy Park Trust administers the park and homestead with the aim of restoring the forest and reintroducing rare bird species such as the brown kiwi.
Originally the trust set out to eliminate animal pests such as rats, possums, stoats, hedgehogs and magpies, and create a cordon to keep them out. But since the re-invasion of animal pests was inevitable, the plan shifted to building a secure predator-proof fence within the park to create Bushy Park as a safe haven for threatened species with a kiwi crèche for young birds from Bank of New Zealand Save the Kiwi’s Operation Nest Egg. The fence was completed in 2005.

The importance of Bushy Park is to preserve the homestead in all its glory and protect its primary role as a crèche, with kiwi chicks coming in, growing to one-kilogram in weight in a safe environment, and going back to replenish wild populations, where hopefully predator control will help them survive and breed.

Bushy Parks endeavours to save the kiwi reflect the generosity and efforts of New Zealanders throughout the country. Bushy Park is one of 34 North Island projects to save kiwi. New Zealanders are becoming more aware and more proactive about saving our national icon. There is an increase in kiwi activity nationwide, reflected by an increase in applications to the Trust, the number of community-based initiatives working to save kiwi, and by the amount of land under protection for kiwi.

On 27 & 28 October 2006 Bushy Park will celebrate it’s centennial. Celebrations will include a dinner on Friday night at the Function Centre with the guest speaker Ruud Kleinpaste, well known as the ‘The Bug Man’ from Maggie’s Garden Show/ Discovery Channel and Animal Planet. Ruud will be an extremely entertaining speaker with a wide ranging topic base. On Friday afternoon Ruud will be attending Wanganui High School to talk to interested students. Rude will also be in attendance at the Springvale Garden Centre on Saturday morning to identify any bugs gardeners may like to bring in. On Saturday there will be an open day at Bushy Park. There will be a light luncheon available. Everyone will be welcome and can contact the secretary for further details.

“Weaving a Dream – The Bushy Park Experience ” This beautiful book traces the history of Bushy Park for the last 100 years.

Written by Wanganui author and historian Penny Robinson will be launched and on sale at our dinner. Well illustrated with photos in full colour for $45. Tickets for the Dinner are $45pp and the light luncheon at Bushy Park on Saturday will be $15pp.