New Zealand Zoo Tour - advice

[nanoboy]

Hi folks,

We are crunching the numbers to do a tour of New Zealand over Easter, and of course, we wanted to organise our tour around visiting zoos.

Can you please give me some advice on a few must-visit collections? (We look at 'The Zoo' on TV, so Auckland Zoo is a must.)

In particular, we are after animal encounters, and species that we would not be able to see in Australia (e.g. kakapo and kiwi).

And if you have a little extra time, advice on must-visit locations to see wildlife (in the wild) would be appreciated (e.g. we really want to see wild kea).

Cheers folks!

 

[Chlidonias]

kea are easy, and you should be able to see wild kiwi too. Kakapo you will have to cross all your digits and even that probably won't help

I'll come back with some proper help tomorrow. Right now I have to sleep.

(But first question: how long have you got in the country and will you have your own transport? And second question while I think of it: apart for kea, are there any other species you particularly want to see wild, because I can give you directions for most things)

 

[nanoboy]

kea are easy, and you should be able to see wild kiwi too. Kakapo you will have to cross all your digits and even that probably won't help

I'll come back with some proper help tomorrow. Right now I have to sleep.

(But first question: how long have you got in the country and will you have your own transport? And second question while I think of it: apart for kea, are there any other species you particularly want to see wild, because I can give you directions for most things)

Looking forward to a longer reply from you (and any others out there).

We are thinking of doing both islands in about 10 days, renting a car here and there (contemplating driving from Auckland to Wellington) and doing day trips to Milford Sound and the glaciers. So if there are some crazy encounters to be had slightly off the beaten track, then do share. We aren't really into sightseeing in the cities per se - a day for Auckland, a day for Wellington.

I can't think of any other native species that we want to see really - my wife just said that she doesn't want to venture off the beaten track if there is no mobile service. I am interested in seeing a Haast Eagle though. But feel free to suggest any must-see wildlife.

 

[Hix]

I was recently in Wellington, and while I can recommend the zoo as a fairly good zoo, they have almost no native wildlife.

A seven minute drive from Wellington CBD is Zealandia - The Karori Sanctuary Experience. Lots of wild birds and wilderness to experience. If you do the night tour you are almost guaranteed of seeing kiwis and wetas. During the day you can see Tuataras, Kakas, Takahe, Stitchbirds, Bellbirds, Saddlebacks, Tui.

An hour-and-a-half north of Wellington is Pukaha Mt Bruce Wildlife Reserve (outside Masterton). If you're driving from Auckland to Wellington you can probably pass through it. Although having only six aviaries and a few other enclosures they have takahe, kiwi (including two white kiwis), what I think is the only kokako on public display, and the only Orange-fronted Kakarikis on public display. Plus red-fronted kakrikis, stitchbirds, wild kakas, tuis etc. And an eel feeding.

If you're in Auckland, Chlidonias will probably recommend Tiritiri Matangi - I haven't been there so I'll let him tell you of all it's charms. You can even stay there overnight.



Hix

 

[Chlidonias]

Kiwi Houses and native birds

I might do this in several posts to avoid it becoming too long.....

First up, seeing as how kiwi are probably a highlight for you, these are the places that display kiwi for the public (listed north to south in the order they appear on the sticky NZ Zoo List, where you can find the websites if they have them):
1) Millenium Nocturnal Park in Kaitaia
2) Kiwi North/Heritage Museum in Whangarei
3) Auckland Zoo
4) Rainbow Springs in Rotorua
5) Te Puia
6) Otorohanga
7) National Aquarium in Napier
8) Pukaha Mt. Bruce
9) Nga Manu
10) Wellington Zoo
11) Orana Park in Christchurch
12) Willowbank Wildlife Reserve in Christchurch
13) National Kiwi Centre in Hokitika
14) West Coast Wildlife Centre in Franz Josef
15) Kiwi Birdlife Park in Queenstown

Of those the best to visit would be Rainbow Springs (and I'll assume you'll want to be visiting Rotorua anyway for the geysers, hot-pools and other geothermal activity). Rainbow Springs is the biggest player in Operation Nest Egg, and they do behind-the-scenes type tours to see the kiwi incubation and rearing (check on their website for all the information). Very interesting stuff there.

Otorohanga has the only Great Spotted Kiwi on display but check before going to find out a time (their kiwi houses are on rotation so at some times of the day the North Island Brown Kiwi are on display instead).

Pukaha Mt. Bruce has the two white kiwi chicks as Hix mentioned.

In the South Island every visitor to Willowbank raves about how fantastic their kiwi house is because there isn't any glass between you and the kiwi. I get very annoyed by this because it is almost literally the very worst kiwi house in the country in terms of the wellbeing of the birds themselves (kiwi get stressed easily by noise, they are prone to swallowing small items people drop in there, and the number of times I've heard stories of people stepping over the low fence to try and catch or pat a kiwi!!!). Their kiwi house breaks half the guidelines in the official DoC husbandry guide (including the way they block up the kiwi burrows so they can't get away from the visitors!) but I get the very strong feeling that DoC overlook it because Willowbank does produce a very large number of chicks for Operation Nest Egg in their incubation rooms (they are second to Rainbow Springs).

The West Coast Wildlife Centre at Franz Josef has the only Okarito Brown Kiwi on display but the place is a bit of a maverick so I don't recommend it (and if you are there for the glaciers anyway, you can easily go see this species in the wild: see the post on seeing wild animals which will follow below at some point).

As for other native birds, there are a few very good suggestions:
1) Hamilton Zoo has a good collection of both native and exotic birds, including Antipodes Island parakeets and North Island kokako.
2) Otorohanga, apart for the kiwi has many other natives so well worth visiting (and its right on the highway so no detours necessary). Zooboy28 did a review of it last year and said it was looking a little tired though.
3) Pukaha Mt. Bruce, see Hix's comments above (not many birds on display, but the ones that are there are pretty special!)
4) Orana Park has an all-right collection, including a sizeable walk-through aviary
5) Willowbank, despite me hating their Kiwi House, does have a very good native collection, including a pair of takahe.
6) Kiwi Birdlife Park in Queenstown, just if you're in the town anyway.

 

[Chlidonias]

Aquariums and Zoos

NZ doesn't really do Aquariums. The ones we have are almost all very small due to the small visitor base. If you want to see some Aquariums when here I would suggest you only bother with Kelly Tarlton's in Auckland (although I personally think it is far too expensive for what is there) and the National Aquarium in Napier (which also has kiwi; I like this Aquarium a lot but but really don't go out of your way to get here).

For zoos, as well as the native bird collections listed previously, I would suggest the following:
[1) Zion Wildlife Park is currently closed, whether it will be open again by Easter who can say, but it may interest you in terms of animal encounters which I believe they do]
2) Auckland Zoo, especially as they have just opened Te Wao Nui, and they do various animal encounters (check their website).
3) Butterfly Creek is literally right next to Auckland Airport so it would seem silly not to pop in when you arrive. They have, amongst a lot of other things, Giant Weta.
4) Franklin Zoo may be worth a visit on your way south (this is where the ex-circus African elephant ended up).
5) Hamilton Zoo definitely, it has a number of species unique in NZ zoos (Brazilian tapir, fishing cat, etc) and while I still haven't been there by all accounts it is very good!
6) Brooklands and Pouakai are both in New Plymouth which is on the way towards Wellington from the north so worth a stop.
7) Wellington Zoo is average nowadays, and has almost no natives as Hix already mentioned, but its still quite a nice small zoo. If you are extraordinarily lucky there may be a sick kakapo in their hospital when you visit (their hospital has viewing windows, but you'd have more chance of winning a lottery than there happening to be a kakapo there at the time!). The schedule of events in the hospital is posted just inside the zoo entrance each morning.
8) Orana Park in Christchurch is definitely worth visiting. It specialises in African animals but also has a native bird section. There are feeds throughout the day, some of which anybody can help with (eg feeding giraffes), others which cost a small amount and its first-in-first-served (eg the lion feeding where you are in a cage on back of a truck - not entirely interactive, unless the one on top of the cage decides to pee on you!), and others very much more expensive (eg cheetah encounter [not sure if they still do this one]). Their website should have all the feeding times etc on it.
9) Willowbank is what I often describe as a farm-type zoo - small and personal. You can feed most of the animals with food bought at the front desk, including the eels. The Clydesdale and the Angry Goat are favourites of mine. There is also a lemur encounter for ring-tailed and ruffed lemurs where you are inside the cage. Details on their website.
10) The International Antarctic Centre by the Christchurch Airport is expensive but most tourists love it (locals don't think its worth the money). The only live animals are little blue and white-flippered penguins. They have some sort of penguin encounter there (check their website).
11) Down south, if in Dunedin the butterfly house in the Otago Museum is worth visiting. And between Dunedin and Christchurch is a tiny town called Waimate and there's a wallaby park there called Enkle Doo Very Korner (don't even ask!) - if you are passing through anyway you might want to stop and play with some wallabies or help bottle-feed a baby.

 

[Chlidonias]

Captive Animal round-up

so taking the last two posts into consideration, the collections I would recommend for you (again, listed roughly north to south):

1) Auckland Zoo
2) Butterfly Creek
3) Rainbow Springs (for kiwi)
4) Hamilton Zoo
5) Otorohanga
6) Brooklands and Pouakai
7) Pukaha Mt. Bruce
8) Wellington Zoo
9) Orana Park
10) Willowbank
11) Otago Museum Butterfly House if in Dunedin (the aviaries in the Dunedin Botanic Gardens are good too)

and any other random additions like Franklin or where-ever. There really are quite a lot of little places dotted around that you could easily fit in with your travel. Have a look at the NZ Zoo List sticky (or even print it out and take it with you) and plot the places out on a map to see what you'll be passing on your route.

 

[Chlidonias]

and now the fun bit.....wild animals!

First up, kiwi. There are five species of kiwi and although they are all rare, nocturnal and very shy you can still see them with a little help (well, most of them - Great Spotted Kiwi are very very difficult!). Tours and opportunities for seeing wild kiwi as follows:
1) North Island Brown Kiwi: Trounson in Northland (Guided Kiwi Night Walks in Trounson Forest - Kauri Coast Top 10 Holiday Park) - you can go out by night by yourself as well and find kiwi here without too much trouble if you don't want a guided walk.
2) Little Spotted Kiwi: Tiritiri Matangi off Auckland, and Zealandia in Wellington (for both see below in this post)
3) Okarito Brown Kiwi: Okarito (about 25 minutes from Franz Josef) (Okarito kiwi adventure tours – low impact eco tours Okarito, South Westland)
4) Southern Brown Kiwi: Stewart Island (Bravo Adventure Cruises - Kiwi spotting on Stewart Island with Bravo Adventures Tours, Stewart Island New Zealand) - kiwi are relatively easy to see on Stewart Island even by yourself, and they are often out and about during daylight hours (eg see photos by Zooboy28 in the Zoochat NZ Wildlife Gallery) [there's also a company that was doing cage-diving with Great White Sharks off Stewart Island but I don't know anything else about that]
[5) is the Great Spotted Kiwi which you won't see]

Next, Kea: just go to Arthurs Pass Village (halfway between Christchurch and Greymouth). I won't say you're 100% guaranteed of seeing Kea here because they're wild animals and they do what they want, but yes, you're 100% guaranteed of seeing Kea here! They mostly hang out round the cafe. Sometimes you do need to wait around a bit till some turn up though. If you stay overnight you can often find them roaming the street in the dark looking for trouble like little hooligans. There are Great Spotted Kiwi round the village as well, and you should hear them calling at night. [And I forgot to say earlier, Willowbank in Christchurch has a walk-through Kea aviary where the Kea are very interactive!]

Penguins: three species breed on the mainland. You've probably seen your fill of Little Blue Penguins but if not then visit Oamaru (Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony). For White-flippered Penguins (a distinct variety of Little Blue endemic to Canterbury) go out on the Akaroa Nature Cruise (see further down in the dolphin section of this post). For Yellow-eyed Penguins the best hide is the one at Moeraki, not far north of Dunedin. Turn off the highway onto the road that leads to Moeraki town (not the road that leads to the Moeraki Boulders which are a bit further north) and then turn right onto a road I think is called Lighthouse Road. It runs to the lighthouse and there's a short track from here down to the penguin hide. The penguins nest in the fenced forest here, so you can also often see adults or chicks right by the fence. The hide itself overlooks the beach where the penguins come and go for fishing. The Fiordland Crested Penguin is the rarest of the three, and your best bet is possibly seeing one on a boat trip in Doubtful or Milford Sounds (there are also resident Bottlenose Dolphins in these Sounds).

Hector's Dolphins are one of the smallest and rarest dolphins in the world. To see them go to either Lyttleton or Akaroa harbours by Christchurch (the boat rides on both harbours are run by the same company). The Akaroa one is best, and also gives you the chance of seeing White-flippered Penguins. You can also swim with these dolphins if they are in the mood. Sometimes Killer Whales are seen in Akaroa too. Details of all that here: New Zealand Wildlife & Dolphin Viewing Cruises | Akaroa Harbour Banks Peninsula

Kaikoura, 180km north of Christchurch, has multiple boats going out daily for Sperm Whales (New Zealand Attractions | Kaikoura Whale Watching), Dusky Dolphins (watching and swimming with them; in autumn the pods can number several thousand animals: Kaikoura, South Island, New Zealand. Watch and swim with the wild dusky dolphins in the ocean), NZ Fur Seals (swimming with them: Seal Swim Kaikoura :: New Zealands original seal swimming team) and albatrosses (Albatross Encounter tours, visit the majestic pelagic birds along the Kaikoura coastline, South island, New Zealand), and there are also plane and helicopter options for spotting whales from the air. I always recommend the albatross boat (no surprises there I suspect!). All of these are expensive, but NZ is an expensive country.

There's a boat that goes out from Picton as well, at the top of the South Island (where the ferry comes in from Wellington) which enables you to see the endangered King Shag and with the possibility of several species of dolphin as well as Killer Whale if you're lucky (Swim with dolphins, bird watching, wildlife cruises in Picton: Naturetours).

Off Auckland is another boat company with a whole different set of cetacean species that you can potentially see (Auckland's Whale and Dolphin Safari, Dolphin Explorer, New Zealand).

What else? Eels?! By Takaka in Nelson you can hand-feed wild giant eels (Takaka the main township of Golden bay, Nelson NZ), or if you are heading to the glaciers on the West Coast drop into the National Kiwi Centre at Hokitika where you can feed much much bigger ones in a tank.

Tiritiri Matangi is an island off Auckland, easily reached most days by ferry. There are loads of native birds being reintroduced here, and you'll easily see takahe, kokako, saddleback, etc. You can stay overnight very cheaply (but do book ahead because it is popular, especially on weekends and holidays) and if so that gives you an excellent chance of seeing Little Spotted Kiwi and Tuatara in the wild. (Home - Tiritiri Matangi Project)

Zealandia (aka Karori Wildlife Sanctuary) is a fenced valley in the middle of Wellington where birds are also being reintroduced. Hix just visited and loved it; I love it; you'll love it too. They do night tours for Little Spotted Kiwi as well, which aren't cheap but they do have a very high success rate (I think they say 50% officially, but its actually much higher than that). (Home page for the ZEALANDIA: The Karori Sanctuary Experience in Wellington New Zealand)


Museums:
without doubt the best in the country is the Otago Museum in Dunedin (with Butterfly House attached). They have a fantastic on-display collection of NZ fauna and fossils, including one of the original takahe specimens from the 1800s and (I believe) a complete Harpagornis skeleton (albeit constructed from parts of several different skeletons). Don't miss the Animal Attic either, tucked away at the top of the stairs and easily overlooked.

The Canterbury Museum in Christchurch has a very good hall for NZ birds and another with reconstructed moa.

Te Papa in Wellington isn't my favourite by a long shot (its too "modern" for my tastes) but they do have a lifesize model of a Harpagornis attacking a moa. Unfortunately the Colossal Squid has now been taken off display.

 

[Chlidonias]

you will have trouble trying to do a lot in just ten days nanoboy. New Zealand's not a big country compared to Australia but the driving distances are still quite far, and you have to fit in zoo visits everywhere. And with only ten days you will need to hire a car for the entire trip. We have an excellent system of shuttles and buses going all over the place for tourists, but obviously they run to schedules and you can't stop where you want. I have roughed up a schedule as follows for ten days taking in most of the important bits, which you may want to use as a starting base. (You won't have time for Fiordland if doing both islands with zoo visits in just ten days)

Day one: fly into Auckland early. Go to Butterfly Creek and Auckland Zoo
Day two: in morning head southwards to Hamilton Zoo, then to Rotorua (Rainbow Springs today if time)
Day three: day in Rotorua (Rainbow Springs and general sight-seeing)
Day four: south to Otorohanga and then on to Wellington where you should have time to get through the Zoo. Could do the night tour at Zealandia this night too.
Day five: in Wellington (eg, the Zoo, Zealandia, Te Papa)
Day six: take an early ferry across to Picton and onwards to Kaikoura where you can do one of the boat trips (whales/albatross/dolphins...)
Day seven: early morning south to Chch (its about 2.5 hours drive); you could possibly fit in a morning boat trip before you go if you like; in Chch you should be able to fit in both Orana and Willowbank at a stretch (otherwise just do Orana)
Day eight: westwards to Arthur's Pass Village for kea, and then on to the West Coast to the glaciers. Stay in either Franz Josef or in Okarito itself, and do the Okarito kiwi tour.
Day nine: on the West Coast (visiting glaciers); you could drop into the National Kiwi Centre in Hokitika too and feed the eels (10am, 12pm and 3pm)
Day ten: back to Chch through Arthur's Pass (this will be about a five or six hour drive). Could go to either Orana or Willowbank if you missed one earlier, or could go out to Akaroa to see the Hector's dolphins
er, Day eleven: fly home from Chch


In all honesty, I would really recommend only doing one island in the ten days so you can see more without being too rushed. The North Island would be my suggestion because there are more zoos there, and you can still see a good range of native wildlife at Zealandia and perhaps Tiritiri Matangi. You won't see kea but you can do the South Island as a separate trip on a later date.

 

[OrangePerson]

Day six: take an early ferry across to Picton and onwards to Kaikoura where you can do one of the boat trips (whales/albatross/dolphins...)

I did all 3 of these and the one that really stays with me is the albatross one, which I would probably have placed last beforehand.

 

[Chlidonias]

I agree

The whale watch is the one that everyone does and its usually heavily-booked but its not really all that interesting unless you're lucky enough to get a whale very close by. Mostly its a whale floating a long way off looking much like a log, and then it dives (which is cool when the tail comes up of course). The albatross boat is the least patronised of the three activities but even people not really into birds think its fantastic once they've had the experience. I've been on the albatross boat numerous times (I ride for free) and never get tired of it, even though I do get terribly seasick on boats

 

[nanoboy]

Folks (especially Chlidonias!), thank you for the fantastic advice. Man, that was a lot of typing you did there - much appreciations.

You have given me a lot of ideas, and a comprehensive review of all things wildlife. My wife was especially amused that you planned an itinerary for us.

It's a lot to digest, and clearly I have a lot of reading and research to do, as well as a budget, booking flights and hotels etc etc.

I'll keep you posted on how it's going, and I'll pop back in with any questions.

This could be made a sticky thread to benefit anyone else who might be planning a trip to NZ. At the very least, maybe Chlidonias can copy his posts to the sticky "NZ zoos" thread. The advice and reviews should be preserved for posterity.

Thanks again.

 

[Chlidonias]

Folks (especially Chlidonias!), thank you for the fantastic advice. Man, that was a lot of typing you did there - much appreciations.

no problems. In my view there's no point having knowledge of things if you don't share it for the benefit of others.

You have given me a lot of ideas, and a comprehensive review of all things wildlife. My wife was especially amused that you planned an itinerary for us.

why is it that women are always amused by me?

It's a lot to digest, and clearly I have a lot of reading and research to do, as well as a budget, booking flights and hotels etc etc.

for just ten days the budget won't be through the roof, and cross-Tasman flights are pretty cheap (I mean, I flew to Sydney just to see a long-beaked echidna!). Car hire isn't very expensive (and maybe think about hiring a campervan because then that's your accommodation taken care of as well). Hotels will probably be on par with Australia. What obviously will increase the cost a lot is all the zoo entrance fees, animal encounters and things like that. As I said, I do really recommend that for ten days you just do the North Island, and do the South Island on a second trip at a later date. You'll be running yourselves ragged trying to get around the whole country otherwise, and probably end up feeling like you should have given yourself a lot longer.

This could be made a sticky thread to benefit anyone else who might be planning a trip to NZ. At the very least, maybe Chlidonias can copy his posts to the sticky "NZ zoos" thread. The advice and reviews should be preserved for posterity.

now there's a thought -- I could do a sticky with one-or-two-paragraph summaries of all the collections in the country! I might need to visit a few more of the North Island ones first though!

 

[CGSwans]

why is it that women are always amused by me?

It's possibly got to do with running off into the bushes halfway through the first date in pursuit of what you're just certain is your first spot-winged blue-necked snipe!

 

[Chlidonias]

no that doesn't result in amusement I'm afraid.....

I believe bemusement is the word you're looking for. Followed shortly after by my confusion ("hey where'd she go?") and sometimes delusion ("oh well, I'm sure she'll be back soon").

 

[Steve Robinson]

Words of advice from my old Dad - "Son, never run after a woman or a tram. There'll be another one along soon"

I'm sure that he would have thought that a spot-winged blue-necked snipe would be worth a gallop for a while!

 

[Steve Robinson]

I agree

The whale watch is the one that everyone does and its usually heavily-booked but its not really all that interesting unless you're lucky enough to get a whale very close by. Mostly its a whale floating a long way off looking much like a log, and then it dives (which is cool when the tail comes up of course). The albatross boat is the least patronised of the three activities but even people not really into birds think its fantastic once they've had the experience. I've been on the albatross boat numerous times (I ride for free) and never get tired of it, even though I do get terribly seasick on boats

Any thoughts on diving with the dolphins at Akaroa?

 

[Chlidonias]

"Son, never run after a woman or a tram. There'll be another one along soon"

women are like trams. There's none for ages and then two come along at once.

 

[Chlidonias]

Any thoughts on diving with the dolphins at Akaroa?

I haven't done it myself (I prefer to keep my feet on a solid foundation, or at least one that doesn't result in me drowning), but apparently it is delightful. The Hector's dolphins at Akaroa are very cute (as I can attest from seeing them from the deck of the boat!) and they do seem to like the tourists. The dive only takes place if the dolphins are interested (as is the case with all cetacean boats in NZ, the welfare of the animals is paramount, by law). The company provides the dry-suits to keep you warm in the water and takes photos of you which you can buy afterwards.

The dolphin boat at Kaikoura meets up with dusky dolphins which are somewhat larger but probably even more playful and in greater quantities (Hector's are usually in very small groups).

In both cases I'd say if you are there and you like dolphins, then definitely give it a go. The Akaroa one is quite cheap too.


(I do have to mention a sorry tale, where-in I had decided to go out on the Akaroa boat one day but didn't get round to arranging it. I thought "no matter, I'll just do it next week" -- and then found out that on that very boat trip a blue whale was sighted at the harbour mouth! To say I was gutted would be to put it mildly!)

 

[Chlidonias]

Kea: just go to Arthurs Pass Village (halfway between Christchurch and Greymouth). I won't say you're 100% guaranteed of seeing Kea here because they're wild animals and they do what they want, but yes, you're 100% guaranteed of seeing Kea here! They mostly hang out round the cafe.

here you go nanoboy, a couple of quick snaps from when I was passing through Arthur's Pass a few days ago. They're just on my point-and-shoot because I couldn't be bothered getting out my proper camera, but you get the idea.