Skip the Line: Franz Josef Wildlife Center Ticket with Optional Backstage Pass
Overview
Available languages
Mobile ticket
Discover one of New Zealand’s most unforgettable wildlife experiences at the West Coast Wildlife Centre — voted one of Lonely Planet’s 12 must-see attractions.
Located in Franz Josef, this award-winning indoor, all-weather facility is home to Little Blue Penguins (kororā), the world’s rarest kiwi, and living Tuatara. Get guaranteed daytime kiwi viewing in our nocturnal house, explore the world-class Ambassador Penguin Encounter, and meet New Zealand’s iconic “living fossil.”
Enjoy interactive glacier storytelling zones, the best shopping in Franz Josef, free Wi-Fi, and Tripadvisor-recommended coffee in our café.
Perfect for all ages and any weather, this is a must-do experience for wildlife lovers, families, and travellers looking to connect with Aotearoa’s unique natural world.
Additional Info
Wheelchair accessible
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Public transportation options are available nearby
Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Main attraction is wheelchair friendly, but backstage pass tour is not wheelchair accessible
Photography is restricted inside the kiwi nocturnal house but available on the kiwi backstage pass tour
Proof of age require if purchasing a senior ticket (over 65 years of age)
Cafe with food and coffee available to purchase. All major credit cards accepted
Cancellation Policy
All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.
What To Expect
West Coast Wildlife Centre
The centre is open every day from 8.30am. Please set aside at least 1-2 hours for your visit. A free takeaway learning booklet is provided at no extra charge. All tickets purchased are valid for 48 hours. This means guests can come in and out of the attraction as often as they like. During your visit, you'll be able to see live kiwi during the day inside the nocturnal house, See live Tuatara, and discover the interactive glacier attraction and storytelling areas/films as well as films and information around NZ's ambitious goal to become predator free by 2050. You'll also have the option to go behind the scenes on the VIP Backstage Pass Tour rated “highly recommended” by Lonely Planet and Tripadvisor Traveller's Choice Award winner for 2022. A fully guided 40-minute tour behind the scenes to see our kiwi incubation and hatching and Tuatara programmes.
What‘s Included
GST (Goods and Services Tax)
Local taxes
Free car parking
Souvenir photos (available to purchase)
Hotel pickup and drop-off
DVD (available to purchase)
Meeting points
West Coast Wildlife Centre
Cnr Cowan & Cron Streets, Bright Green Building Franz Josef New Zealand
End points
This activity ends back at the meeting point.
Options
General Admission -48hr Pass
General Admission Entry: 48-Hour Admission Pass
12:00pm VIP Backstage Tour
VIP Backstage Pass Tour
2pm - VIP Backstage Guided
4pm VIP Backstage Guided
10am VIP Backstage Pass Tour
VIP Backstage Pass Tour
Reviews
161 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Penguins and kiwis
Ggrund3,,Jan 29, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This was a great wildlife center got to see the kiwis moving around in their enclosure and saw some blue penguins . Our naturalist guide was excellent. He showed us all around the place and explained everything to us. It is definitely worth the stop especially to see the kiwis. We had a wonderful time there.
Fabulous experience : learned so much about penguins, tutatara & kiwis
ceriajay,,Jan 24, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Outstanding tour of the tutatara and the kiwi incubation/hatching centre. The expert guide Steve was so knowledgeable - we learned so much ! The tour was timed perfectly to then watch the penguins being fed, and we experienced seeing kiwis in the special nocturnal low light enclosures. The work that this privately owned Wildlife Centre does is very worthwhile and critical to preserving the unique fauna of New Zealand. Highly recommend - it may seem pricy but it was more than worth every dollar!
Enjoyable visits. Great Kiwi enclosures and Blue penguins pool. Great shop
pru2018,,Jan 19, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Enjoyable backstage pass learning more about the kiwi and blue penguins and Tuatara reptiles. Great shop, very reasonable prices. Staff were very friendly.
West Coast wildlife center
Voyager28639856513,,Jan 17, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Very educational and informative. Would highly recommend visiting. I also strongly recommend the backstage pass where the hands on learning and small group experience was well worth it. Our guide was fantastic.
VIP experience underwhelming
Sue W,,Jan 15, 2026
- Review from Viator
2.00While we learned about the kiwi hatching facility, when we were there they had no kiwi eggs or hatchlings on site. I felt misled as we weren’t told this when purchasing the VIP tickets. The tuatara display behind the scenes was interesting, but I didn’t feel it was worth the price of admission for the VIP experience. While the presenter seemed to have lots of experience with the animals, her presentation seemed disjointed and overly enthusiastic.
Delightful visit, worthy work and program. Highly recommend.
judith94941,,Jan 15, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Our group of 4 did the VIP tour and thoroughly enjoyed it. Steve was a compelling guide - we learned so much about Kiwis - fascinating birds. New Zealand has an impressive, comprehensive program to ensure their survival. Important to support their work. If you don't want to pay for the VIP tickets, the regular tickets are still worth it. They have so much information on panels throughout the center. Great videos too. Such a joy to see live kiwis. Penguins adorable too. Tuatara also there.
Disappointing- it worth extra for the VIP backstage
mrsfussy2,,Jan 11, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
3.00Not really as advertised. Did VIP behind the scenes tour. While Steve our guide was knowledgeable particularly about the Tuatara (3 to be seen which you can see from main entry) there was not much extra to see outside of normal entry as there were no kiwi chicks in situ. 😞 Hugely disappointed. Realised afterwards that we should have visited kiwi centre near Rotorua on North Island. Also here at Frank Josef we saw 4 rescued penguins being fed which you can see with ordinary entry. It was packed and hard to see into the tank area if you are short! We saw one kiwi in the small nocturnal enclosure.
Definitely need to visit!
Michelle C,,Jan 10, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Amazing! We actually saw Kiki’s! A bucket list item checked for our holiday in NZ. Very informative. We added the backstage pass. Very worthwhile addition, learned a lot about the Kiki’s and Tuatara!
Once in a lifetime!
Q6853WJadamh,,Jan 5, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00What a fantastic facility! Educational and exciting with the animal residents well being at the forefront. Everyone was welcoming and helpful in their top notch shop. If you love the animal kingdom I highly encourage you to take the time to visit the gem in Franz Josef!
A great visit and the backstage tour is worth every dollar!
Mpivanova,,Jan 4, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Awesome backstage tour. Super friendly staff, going out of their way to show and educate visitors on the history of the animals (kiwis, tuatara and blue penguins) and the work they do. We thought we’d be in and out in 45 mins, spent over 3 hrs instead. Ask the staff to come into the kiwi birds’ area and show them to you with a red light, absolute delight. We were not lucky enough to come at a time with eggs in the incubators, but if you get that lucky - consider buying a lottery ticket 🙃 Seeing the penguins 🐧 getting fed and hearing their individual stories of injury and rescue was also great. Seeing and hearing the people from the wildlife center talk about the animals is striking and gave me at least a ton of appreciation about the character of the people of New Zealand. Awesome, awesome, thank you for the care and attitude.
From NZ$65.00
Want a private experience? Upgrade to a private tour
Related Experiences
Operated by Franz Josef Wildlife Centre