For 180 million years giant wētā stalked the treetops of Aotearoa, and then - almost in an instant - they were gone, clinging to survival only on one island in the Hauraki Gulf.
But now, thanks to a breeding programme at Auckland Zoo and conservation groups like Project Island Song, they're making a comeback.
A band of wētā enthusiasts are on a mission to save these dinosaurs of the insect world.
Peter de Graaf reports.
