West Coast Wildlife Centre

Had an expert called Devon show us around and explain everything. Very good with bits of humor. Very knowledgeable and answered all questions. My 5 year old had a blast.

We had a great time at the west coast wildlife center. We saw kiwi and tuatara.Plus the cafe is great, ice-cream,coffee,cabinet food and more.There was toys for a baby to play with and fresh scones with jam and cream. Yum yum. We will go again.

Been a couple of times and always love to see the tuatara and the kiwi and staff are always lovely

An educationally meaningful conservation center provides an opportunity to get up close with the rarest Rowi kiwi birds. Currently, the conservation center has two of these birds, whose lively and busy figures are truly adorable in the dark. For ecology enthusiasts, whether as a backup plan for glacier hiking cancellations or a special arrangement to visit, it is highly recommended.

The experience was exciting and informative! Its great to see such great conservation efforts from this wildlife centre. We got the VIP pass and were shown around by Devin. He was very polite and knowledgeable and taught us alot about the excellent programs going into saving the endangered kiwis as well as a history into them.I would highly recommend going to see the Kiwis in the morning! We heard from Devin that youre much more likely to see them then as this is when they're eating and most active and he was right! We came a second time and saw a kiwi eating, play in their water, and walk around the enclosure.We were also lucky enough to see a tuatara up close during our VIP tour and gave it a *very* gentle pet on his back.Would definitely recommend!

Really great experience and a Franz Josef must do.The conservation work that this facility does for kiwis is fantastic. Would strongly recommend doing the behind the scenes tour, even if there are no chicks - it's super interesting.Our guide Devon was so passionate and informative, he's a credit to the centre. The kiwi in the nocturnal room have a great setup. The female is sleepy and relaxed, whilst the male runs around quite happily.They are much easier to see once your eyes have adjusted, but if you still can't spot them, staff will point them out under a red light torch.The tuatara are surprisingly really cute, and their history and origin is really interesting. Got to see a baby one which was really sweet, and the rest in the main pen are fun to observe.Staff excellent and friendly - would recommend a visit.

Enjoyable experience. Book online for $2 off, got to see 2 kiwi's and learned about Glaciers + how West Coasters live. Nice gift store at the end.

We had such an amazing time here! So much so we visited the kiwis 3 times in total (Your ticket is valid for 48 hours). The kiwis are so so cute and look so happy. The centre and people involved are doing amazing things to help protect the eggs and young kiwi. Once they are old enough to not be eaten they are released back into a local wildlife reserve. On top of this you can see Tuataras and learn about the surrounding areas and glaciers. The staff were also super lovely and helpful. It was our first time seeing both animals and worth every cent of the $32 pp

Definitely don’t miss out on this experience. Very informative and well laid out. We spent a couple of hours. Learn all you want to know about kiwis and glaciers. Great for kids. Recommend backstage pass to learn more about kiwis. Great cafe and shop. Friendly staff. Don’t miss it