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• It’s wild! You’ll love it

  CRUISERAILTRAVEL,2026年6月3日

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  This wildlife centre is an absolute must do whilst in the township of Franz Josef. I did the VIP Backstage Pass because I think I’m a bit of a legend and consider myself to be a VIP- like doesn’t everyone. Anyways, best decision I could have made because I learnt SSOO much about those fluffy little critters - the Kiwis. The work they do to help conservation of these beautiful birds is commendable. The informative talk on how they help build the Kiwi population was succinct, flowed really and blew me away. Then upstairs we got to meet their Jurassic friends the Tuatara and also their friendly penguins. Not to mention the informative glacier display with heaps of info. You can easily spend 2.5+ hours here.

  

  

  

• Must Visit

  Resort20603204213,2026年5月31日

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  We loved our visit. The guide who took us through the Kiwi hatchery was very knowledgeable. The penguins were just delightful and the man who took the session was great. This is a must visit.

• Small but mighty venue

  littlemcfarr,2026年5月13日

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Well worth the stop. This small venue is packed with interesting information about the kiwi bird and its struggles, along with little penguins and tuataras. There’s also information about the glaciers, and of course a great gift shop. Sales go to help preservation efforts so make sure to stop. If you can time it to take in penguin feeding you will learn some interesting facts. Highly recommend the backstage pass to find out what is being done to help preserve the kiwi and tuatara population.

• Way too expensive for a family

  raymondmY3418PE,2026年4月29日

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  2.00

  Your webpage says opening time is 8.30am. Animals cant be viewed until 9.00am Way overpriced, especially when on a tour when you can't use your ticket again. Could only just make out the Kiwi birds, saw no eggs , only one lizard and about 8 penguins. Lucky I went on my own and not with the whole family.

• Interesting

  GleBec13,2026年4月29日

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Very interesting. Especially enjoyed seeing the tuatara up close.

  

• Up close encounter. Family friendly. Kids loved it.

  C M,2026年4月25日

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Up close encounter with 2 active Kiwi’s I could almost touch the female. Loved being this close and learning about Kiwi’s. Close action to watching penguin feeding. Penguins rescued from boat strikes and dog attacks. Interactive experience First time meeting a Tuatara- New Zealand reptile. Did not know they existed prior to this. Friendly staff.

  

  

• Great day

  Y4706OOlynm,2026年4月17日

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Great tour learned so much Staff and facilities so nice Very interesting to see how they are helping the native birds

• Visit hatched Kiwi’s at the West Coast Wildlife Center, Franz Josef

  Olivers01,2026年4月4日

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  On a rainy day we bumped into the WC Wildlife Center and booked the tour incl. Backstage visit. We can say that this visit was one of highlights of our travel in NZ. You get a detailed explanation of the Kiwi situation, facts very interstingly explained in the hatching station, later on you can visit Kiwis that are to be set free in the coming weeks in a darkened room. There is also a very well prepared part of the glaciers, pinguins (that have had accidents), and details about the goldrush on the westcoast. This privately run (as far as we understood in cooperation with the Dept. Of conservation) is passionately run and the guides are super. If it is a sunny or rainy day, we would return.

• Fun and interesting

  Curiosity783285,2026年3月29日

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  The staff was very knowledgeable and friendly. It was a great experience and I have a much better understanding of endangered New Zealand wildlife.

• Helping to Save Endangered Species

  clairemC5031KQ,2026年3月22日

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  We had a prearranged group tour with Devon. He was excellent, enthusiastic and very knowledgeable about what the center is doing. We went down to the incubation room and learned about how they are saving the kiwi and increasing its numbers. They have tagged the birds and are rescuing the eggs, one per bird, bringing them to the center and incubating them till they hatch. The eggs are huge. For a human, it would be like giving birth to a five year old child. They monitor the egg till it hatches, and provide the bird with food until it is old enough and big enough to be released back into the wild. The bird parents don’t even feed the chick…it is left to fend for itself. We then visited the tuatara pen. The animal is a lizard, but not a reptile. They were extinct on the mainland and were only found on some small outer islands. They are not quite ready to release the animals back into the wild. There are other nice exhibits in the center. At 11:00 am and 3:00 pm you can see the little blue penguins being fed. Your ticket allows you to return the next day. A must see for anyone interested in endemic wildlife.

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