Auckland Zoo

Stop 13: Auckland Zoo

Auckland Zoo is home to the largest collection of native and exotic animals in New Zealand, set in 17 hectares of lush parkland and just minutes from central Auckland. During your visit, you can explore the tropical rainforest and see 130 different species, including tigers, giraffes, elephants and monkeys. You can also see native New Zealand wildlife up close, like the famous kiwi bird and the tuatara.

Auckland Zoo Facilities

Auckland Zoo offers daily keeper talks and public programmes. There are several restaurant and café options available around the zoo, and a gift shop inside so you can take home a reminder of your visit.

Auckland Zoo plays an important role in breeding, research and recovery programmes for threatened wildlife. A portion of every ticket goes to local and international conservation projects. You can visit the NZ Centre for Conservation Medicine and learn how the zoo helps protect and care for endangered species.

Visiting Western Springs

From this stop, you can also explore Western Springs, a public park built around a natural spring lake. Its Māori name is Waiorea, meaning ‘water of eels’.

The springs were one of Auckland’s early water supplies, and today the lake and its surrounding wetlands are a refuge for wildlife including fish, eels and a wide variety of birds. There is a network of footpaths all around the park, making it easy to explore on foot. You can visit Western Springs from both our Zoo and MOTAT stops.

An historic tram line operates around Western Springs connecting the Zoo, MOTAT and MOTAT’s Aviation Hall, which has a large collection of old war planes.