Geckos can vocalise, and many New Zealand species make a chirping sound, while some green geckos produce a sound much like a ‘bark’.
They are found on both the mainland and the offshore islands, at a wide range of altitudes (from sea level to c. 2200m), and in many different habitats.

Systematic searching and pitfall trapping are the primary methods for monitoring lizards species, but Tony Whitaker (1967) would locate nocturnal species such as Woodworthia cf.
brunnea by ‘eye-shine’- “created when light from a torch beam is reflected from the tapetum lucidum (a layer of tissue in the eye)”.
The testing of this technique enabled him to develop a binocular-mounted spotlight with a controllable light source, which could locate geckos over distances of 10–100m.
This equipment proved invaluable when surveying difficult to search terrain and in areas with low population densities and/or “cryptic” species.
Tracking tunnels are a potential monitoring method, as Jarvie & Monks “obtained relatively clear, measurable prints for all gecko species” in their testing, and the findings suggested that footprints from tracking tunnels may be useful in distinguishing between gecko species, although additional research is needed to “assess the ability to further discriminate intra- and inter-genera lizard footprints from tracking tunnels”.

In 2015, some Woodworthia cf.
brunnea geckos were relocated into Riccarton Bush from the bluffs above Rāpaki, as due to the Christchurch earthquake their habitat was under threat.
Two hundred and nine geckos were retrieved “from the Crater Rim Bluffs by abseil access rope technicians because major geotechnical work planned for the area would destroy the geckos’ habitat”.
While it was noted that the forested habitat of the Bush was very different from their previous rocky bluff habitat, it was selected as the release area due to the predator-proof fence surrounding it, offering the geckos the best chance for survival.
Canterbury geckos had lived in the Riccarton Bush area until around the 1980s, and as such it was determined they could survive there again.
The geckos were fitted with radio transmitters and released into kahikatea trees (Dacrycarpus dacrydioides), although most moved to “other vine-covered trees or stumps.
One took up residence in a cabbage tree near the release tree”.
The transmitters proved effective in monitoring the distance the geckos moved and whether they remained close enough together for further mating opportunities, and the geckos “seem to have settled in well”.

Māori brought with them the traditional Polynesian names for reptiles and amphibians, ngārara is the general term for reptiles and moko or mokomoko for lizards, with other names such as moko pāpā referring to ‘types’ or discrete species of reptiles.
Reptiles have particular cultural and spiritual significance to Māori as they are cited in many myths and legends, with “links to death, demons and the after-world”.
There can be much cultural superstition and fear surrounding ngārara, with green coloured gecko species being seen as a bad omen.
Some iwi (tribes) see lizards as kaitiaki (guardians) of the dead, and lizards were often buried or placed near important structures such as wānanga (house of learning).
In art such as carvings, petroglyphs, tattoos and pendants, reptiles are often pictured, but curiously, native frogs are not and have no feature in the myths and legends, even though Māori would have encountered them in the landscape.
Geckos can vocalise, and many New Zealand species make a chirping sound, while some green geckos produce a sound much like a ‘bark’. They are found on both the mainland and the offshore islands, at a wide range of altitudes (from sea level to c. 2200m), and in many different habitats.
Systematic searching and pitfall trapping are the primary methods for monitoring lizards species, but Tony Whitaker (1967) would locate nocturnal species such as Woodworthia cf. brunnea by ‘eye-shine’- “created when light from a torch beam is reflected from the tapetum lucidum (a layer of tissue in the eye)”. The testing of this technique enabled him to develop a binocular-mounted spotlight with a controllable light source, which could locate geckos over distances of 10–100m. This equipment proved invaluable when surveying difficult to search terrain and in areas with low population densities and/or “cryptic” species. Tracking tunnels are a potential monitoring method, as Jarvie & Monks “obtained relatively clear, measurable prints for all gecko species” in their testing, and the findings suggested that footprints from tracking tunnels may be useful in distinguishing between gecko species, although additional research is needed to “assess the ability to further discriminate intra- and inter-genera lizard footprints from tracking tunnels”.
In 2015, some Woodworthia cf. brunnea geckos were relocated into Riccarton Bush from the bluffs above Rāpaki, as due to the Christchurch earthquake their habitat was under threat. Two hundred and nine geckos were retrieved “from the Crater Rim Bluffs by abseil access rope technicians because major geotechnical work planned for the area would destroy the geckos’ habitat”. While it was noted that the forested habitat of the Bush was very different from their previous rocky bluff habitat, it was selected as the release area due to the predator-proof fence surrounding it, offering the geckos the best chance for survival. Canterbury geckos had lived in the Riccarton Bush area until around the 1980s, and as such it was determined they could survive there again. The geckos were fitted with radio transmitters and released into kahikatea trees (Dacrycarpus dacrydioides), although most moved to “other vine-covered trees or stumps. One took up residence in a cabbage tree near the release tree”. The transmitters proved effective in monitoring the distance the geckos moved and whether they remained close enough together for further mating opportunities, and the geckos “seem to have settled in well”.
Māori brought with them the traditional Polynesian names for reptiles and amphibians, ngārara is the general term for reptiles and moko or mokomoko for lizards, with other names such as moko pāpā referring to ‘types’ or discrete species of reptiles. Reptiles have particular cultural and spiritual significance to Māori as they are cited in many myths and legends, with “links to death, demons and the after-world”. There can be much cultural superstition and fear surrounding ngārara, with green coloured gecko species being seen as a bad omen. Some iwi (tribes) see lizards as kaitiaki (guardians) of the dead, and lizards were often buried or placed near important structures such as wānanga (house of learning). In art such as carvings, petroglyphs, tattoos and pendants, reptiles are often pictured, but curiously, native frogs are not and have no feature in the myths and legends, even though Māori would have encountered them in the landscape.
Canterbury gecko