Muristek
‘Delightfully horrific’: wētā motels proliferate as New Zealand falls in love with the giant insect
Small man-made homes for the endangered wētā, which can weigh as much as a sparrow, are popping up in gardens across the country
In a tiny motel at the back of a Wellington garden, a group of lodgers with shiny cigar-shaped bodies and spiny legs are making themselves at home. A male is bunking in with his harem of females, their bodies huddled together, a wiry mashup of legs and antennae. Once a fortnight the motel’s owner, Holly Neill, briefly opens the door to peer into the perspex window and check on her tenants, each time experiencing the thrill of being able to spy on the shy, strange creatures inside.
They are not paying guests and nor are these ordinary motels, but rather human-made houses for one of New Zealand’s most beloved insects – the wētā. Increasingly, wētā motels are popping up in gardens as New Zealanders begin to embrace the bugs in their backyards – something that may also give the endangered species a chance at survival.
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