Otorohanga Kiwi House

Very neat place to see kiwis and learn more about the birds of New Zealand! One of the keepers gave us an impromptu lesson as we arrived since he happened to be at the desk, then an excellent staff member inside chased us down to let us know the kiwis had come closer to the glass. The eels were shockingly fun to see too, the biggest one still has me wide eyed!

The bird Avery is good to see Kakariki & Tuatara. Part of the park was being upgraded when we went there (Dec 30th 2022) so that area was closed off to the public. We we're glad to see Kiwi (for the first time) which took alot of patients (not everyone will get to see them come out of the burrows)Tip: Watch the live video screen in the entrance where you buy tickets to see if the kiwi are in burrow #1 or burrow #2. When they leave the burrow, then you need to quickly go into the Kiwi House (which is in the dark) to find the kiwi wandering around. Be quick or you will miss them.We saw a Kea for the first time. There are Kereru (native NZ pigeons) and other things to see.The entry price is a bit high for the experience. But after the upgrades it could be worth it. However, I wouldn't go back again. It's a good day out for kids.

It was nice to be able to see all of the local birds in New Zealand. Getting to see the kiwi in their dark room felt a little bit like playing Where's Waldo. They made us wait a bit, but they were worth the anticipation. The guide at the front was ridiculously funny and super friendly. Only downside is that multiple areas of the park were closed for construction, which limited us to far fewer exhibits

Cool place, but only 5 kiwis on display in the whole park, so if they are sleeping, you can't actually see any Kiwi. Kiwi are only active around 4-6 hours/day. The lady working told us they are most active around 1-2pm there. I was told they have about 20 more in the breeding house, but you can't see them. They do have an open aviary you can see some birds up close and several geckos. They are doing construction so several areas were closed.

The staff were incredibly friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful. The kiwi keeper talk was very informative and amusing. We felt very lucky to spot 3 kiwi on our visit - with a lot of staring in the dark, checking the live-cam monitors, and LOTS of patience.Kiwi are only awake 4-6 hours a day so it's a bit of luck whether you see them. Watch the camera monitors and as soon as you see them leaving the burrow, run into the nocturnal house to spot them coming out! Check the logs too because apparently kiwi like sleeping in there. The keepers are really helpful, and if you ask, they'll point out the location of the burrows and help you try to spot them. The live-cams are great - even if you don't see the kiwi in person, they might be digging and hopping around inside the burrows. I believe the ticket allows entry the next day as well so you could try again if you don't initially see one.We enjoyed exploring the rest of the park in between stints of kiwi-searching. Some parts were closed for construction when we went, but there was still lots to see. What really stood out to me about this experience (aside from how incredibly cute the kiwi are) was how amazing the keepers are. You can tell they really care about the animals there and want to share that with visitors :)

Great experience. Ticket guarantees repeat entry to allow you to see the kiwi if you miss first day. You can also come and go on the day. Easy walk around. Plenty for kids to look, search and find. Lovely friendly staff. Park opposite for lunch time break.

All the staff was amazing and very friendly. We also really appreciated Shelly who was helpful in showing us some of the wildlife. We saw lots of owls, birds, eels, and two small 1 year old kiwis (after staring into a dark box for quite sometime). The kiwi talk and eel feeding were worth the wait. Awesome experience!

It's a bit of fun. Walked around the bird park where the birds liked to play hide a seek LOL. Saw some eels but were not lucky enough to spy a Tuatara.We didn't see the Kiwis except on the monitor. We stayed for the guides talk about Kiwis and found it very informative and quite amusing at times.Kwi house offered a return visit on our ticket, so we came back at the advised time the next morning and were lucky enough to see a Kiwi foraging... was an amazing experience and would highly recommend.

A lovely home to many of NZ's native animals - birds and reptiles. There are 2 kiwi enclosures; it is dark inside so allow your eyes to adjust to darkness before attempting to spot them - they might be hiding in their nesting boxes (there's a screen which shows live footage so you can still see them!)Ps. There is a also a mini foodtruck cafe before entry with coffee and homemade savouries and sweets!

I stumbled upon this place on my way to where I was staying, and I'm glad I stopped in. Superb place for a quick visit. Super friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful staff.