Kiwi Park Wildlife Sanctuary, Queenstown, New Zealand
If you enjoy learning about wildlife, particularly birds, Kiwi Park Queenstown is a fantastic family owned and operated wildlife sanctuary beautifully landscaped in the heart of downtown Queenstown. It's easy to forget you are in a city once inside the park.
Many of New Zealand's native animals are endangered or extinct due to to foreign predators (opossums, mice, etc.) being introduced to the island. The sanctuary is dedicated to repopulating endangered species and is currently home to 20 species of native New Zealand wildlife.
There are very few places in New Zealand where you can see wild kiwi. Kiwi Park Queenstown allows you the unique experience to see these nocturnal birds in captivity. With a timed entry slot to the kiwi encounter, you can enter the dark exhibit and see the eclectic looking birds sniffing and shuffling about. This was the highlight of our visit! *Phones were not permitted due to the birds being sensitive to light exposure.
There are two conservations shows per day (11:30am and 3:00pm). Be sure to plan your visit around attending the show. Not only was it very informative, they had the whole crowd laughing!
Before you leave you can peruse the gift shop and enjoy the small cafe attached that serves samples of honey from their own bees. Kiwi Park Queenstown is a lovely park all around and an excellent way to spend a couple of hours in Queenstown.