Forest Aviary - Te Wao Nui, Auckland Zoo 2011

Forest Aviary at Te Wao Nui, Auckland Zoo.

This walk-through aviary contains many forest birds of New Zealand. It first opened in the early/mid 1990s but has been closed for the last few years for extensive repairs and renovations. This photo is taken near the entrance, the path winds around to the left and stairs lead up to the high viewing platform (where green bird feeder is) before winding down and round to the platform at right, and the exit further right (out of shot). Species present are North Island Kaka, Yellow-crowned Parakeets, Red-crowned Parakeets, New Zealand Wood Pigeon, Bellbird, Silvereye, Tui & North Island Saddleback. Bizarrely there are no ground-dwelling birds or waterfowl, despite the pond. Hopefully these will be added later.

Te Wao Nui Review here: http://www.zoochat.com/17/te-wao-nui-review-236615/

Te Wao Nui appears to be a fantastic, unique addition to Auckland Zoo and I'd be thrilled to tour the facility. However, I'm curious as to whether there will be a significant boost in attendance as seeing native NZ birds, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates might not appeal to tourists as much as looking at lions, tigers, penguins and even meerkats. Can the zoo attract the masses with a new exhibit complex packed with small, somewhat unknown critters?

snowleopard said:

Te Wao Nui appears to be a fantastic, unique addition to Auckland Zoo and I'd be thrilled to tour the facility. However, I'm curious as to whether there will be a significant boost in attendance as seeing native NZ birds, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates might not appeal to tourists as much as looking at lions, tigers, penguins and even meerkats. Can the zoo attract the masses with a new exhibit complex packed with small, somewhat unknown critters?

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While native species aren't especially high profile in any country, I think that many New Zealanders do understand the importance of our native species, and I think they may be a bigger drawcard for New Zealanders than may be the case in other countries. Having said that, I don't really think there would be a huge, sustained increase in local visitor numbers, although I suspect a lot of people would have been to specifically see Te Wao Nui since it opened.

The real potential for increased visitation is from international tourists, which is probably one of the main reasons it opened at the begining of the largest sporting event ever held in NZ (Rugby World Cup 2011). The zoo can now market itself as the best place to see NZs wildlife, especially in Auckland, where the vast majority of international visitors arrive. I would think it will also increase the zoos visitation by tour buses, which would allow tourists (mostly from Asia) to spend an hour or two viewing our wildlife. When I visited last Friday there was a line of probably 60 tourists off a bus waiting to get in. I think this will be where Te Wao Nui will make its money, while the same amount of NZers who normally come to the zoo can be further educated about our wildlife and conservation.