This place turned out to be much better than anticipated. My adult daughter wanted to see Kiwi’s and this place delivered. I really enjoyed the eels and all of the animals wandering around. It was a calm peaceful day during our 2 month vacation. A+
We bought two gorgeous Seabright chickens about a year ago from here (yes, they sell chickens), and unfortunately, they were in a cardboard box that reeked of gasoline. We took them out as soon as we got home but thought that Willowbank would've been more caring about them.
Besides that, the zoo is wonderful and has many great exhibits. The lovely employees make sure that the animals and people are happy.
Willowbank is a great place to take your kids since you can feed some of the animals and learn more about New Zealand's wildlife.
Love the park where you can interact with different animals in close proximity (I had ducklings chasing after me which was real fun!). I went on a relatively quiet weekday and the walk in the park itself was relaxing. I was also impressed at how they tried to incorporate NZ history in their decor. Not my first time seeing real kiwis, but I liked how we could see them up close (without glass barriers) in the kiwi house. If you have time, do try the optional experiences (of course, book ahead of time - their website is easy to navigate and they reply to emails quickly too). I managed to book for the capybara encounter and it was definitely the highlight of my whole trip to New Zealand! The lady guiding us knows her stuff and was awesome with the capys (and their goose friend Bambi). I also enjoyed a banana milkshake at the park cafe served by the friendly staff working there.
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