been there last 2003. the place surely difren by now. btw, we spend there almost half day. nice place to visit. u surely will see the kiwi (to compare wit one place we visited near taupo). there was a friendly deer will follow u..she likes people may be :D structured park..from native to domestic.. but the most memorable is the... more

One of the best things we did on the South Island - a lovely buffet dinner followed by a tour of the reserve. Seeing the animals at night was a striking change from the usual nature-reserve experience. Seeing the kiwis running around in the shadows was wonderful. All the animals seemed well cared for and staff were great. A lovely... more

Highlight of Christchurch was a later visit to Willowbank Wildlife Reserve. The reserve is off Hussey Road, not too far from the airport off Gardiner, and not well signposted as the road in looks like an entrance to tract houses and is marked only by a small yellow arrow on a post. But if you want to see most of... more

We went for dinner, the show about the Maoris and the way they used to live, and the nightwalk. Although no longer their way of life, it was interesting to see the way the Maori villages would have been arranged. It was a nice introduction to Maori customs. Interactive show was also fun. Learned a lot about the Kiwi, Kea,... more

This is the only place in New Zealand that has a walk through kiwi encounter - you'll definitely see a real live kiwi that's awake! The kea (native parrot) is very cheeky! When you go through their enclosure make sure you have no food, or they will take it right out of your hand! (as I found out) The rest... more

This is a small wildlife park which houses the 'tame' animals. No lions or tigers here but you can hand feed the deer, eels and wallabies. My children enjoyed this up to about age 9/10 and then it wasn't that cool. I am an animal loving adult and would definitely visit as there are examples of the native NZ animals... more