Nightlife on Aotearoa’s predator-free islands is pretty special. While I’m often working all night with seabirds, I occasionally get some free time for a wander with my camera to check out what else is going on. Being alone in the dark, surrounded by the rustling sounds of a busy nocturnal island, coming across eyes glowing in the shadows, catching glimpses of movement in the undergrowth all feels so far removed from ‘normal’ life. But this version of life has been going on for far longer than we have, and the entire mainland would have been just as wonderfully alive as these precious island arks before we arrived. Arguably this nightlife much more ‘normal’ than streetlights and traffic noise all night. I feel so lucky to be able to experience it, to step back in time and sit next to tuatara in the midnight forest.