This is my native zoo plan. I didn't like Rotorua, too smelly and full of North Islanders, so I sold up and bought a nice 10 acres down in the South Island instead. Fortunately I can also take some further liberties with the guidelines because I hired an excellent marketing guy who turned out to be fantastic at fund-raising and arranging sponsorships, thereby more than doubling the initial capital (although it did result in some strange exhibit names, like the "Dolls House Stripclub Aviary"). And as luck would have it, the land I bought was right next to a mainland island project and they allowed me to extend the predator-fence perimeter to enclose my zoo, meaning that not only is it free from nasty pests but the grounds are home to wild endangered birds like saddleback, yellowheads and orange-fronted parakeets.
The entrance building, as well as containing the gift shop etc, is mainly a museum covering the entire history of NZ from Gondwanaland onwards, including geology, botany and zoology. There is a final hall covering the consequences of the arrival of man, displaying lifesize models, skeletal material and mounted specimens of the extinct birds.
A separate building is a combined Aquarium/ Reptile House/ Insect House/ Nocturnal House. The Aquarium section contains a comprehensive collection of native freshwater fish and also various interesting freshwater invertebrates such as tadpole shrimps, freshwater crayfish and bioluminescent limpets. The Reptile House has skinks, geckoes, tuatara and frogs, with many rare species such as harlequin gecko and the recently-discovered pigmy gecko. There is also a special display on the kawekaweau, because the Marseilles museum graciously let me have the only preserved specimen on indefinite long-term loan -- wasn't that nice of them!? The Insect House concentrates mainly on the most interesting species to be found in NZ such as peripatus, various weta species, giant centipedes, giant flatworms, etc. Smaller species can be viewed through magnifying lenses. Both the reptile and invertebrate sections merge with the Nocturnal House allowing them to be displayed to their full potential. Of course the Nocturnal House shows kiwi, morepork and native bats. There is a large off-display area for the breeding of endangered reptiles etc.
Of the grounds, they are planted out solely with native flora to give an appropriate feel to the place and also to attract the native birds. About half the premises is off-limits to the public, used for breeding birds for release to the wild. Among the main display areas is a wetlands section for black stilt, wrybill, shore plover, ducks etc; this backs onto a constructed wild wetland with boardwalks, providing habitat for bitterns, fernbirds and other endangered natives. There is a huge walk-through kea aviary with massive cliff-work, shingle screes and beech forest; additional birds in here are weka and some waterfowl. A second walk-through is a forest one for kaka, kakariki, bellbirds, saddleback, pigeon, etc. Smaller individual aviaries contain various other native birds including falcons, barn owls and kingfishers.
Entry fee is $15 for adults, $5 for children. Who wants to visit my zoo? (Opening date as yet undetermined)
PS Zoobeat members free of charge
