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USD $14.00
Zealandia: The Exhibition and Sanctuary Valley
Wellington, New Zealand
Take a trip through time and see the evolution of New Zealand’s wildlife brought to life at Zealandia, one of New Zealand's premier eco-attractions located just minutes from central Wellington. At Zealandia: The Exhibition, you’ll see New Zealand’s incredible natural history and world-renowned conservation movement showcased in a state-of-the-art indoor exhibition. Then step outside, through the predator-proof fence and into the Sanctuary Valley, a beautiful 225-hectare (550-acre) eco-sanctuary that offers you the best opportunity to see some of New Zealand’s rarest birds, reptiles and insects in the wild. Your ticket includes entry to both The Exhibition and Sanctuary Valley.
As you enter The Exhibition at Zealandia, you’ll be transported back 1,000 years to the time before humans arrived on New Zealand. Stand face-to-face with the long-lost giants of the bird world – the 10-foot-high (3-meter-high) moa and the man-eating Haast’s eagle. On the big screens, witness centuries of catastrophic loss as generations of new settlers, and the animals and plants they bought with them, changed the face of New Zealand forever. Then find out what is being done to put the pieces of this fractured paradise back together.
As you step outside into Sanctuary Valley, the world’s first fully fenced, urban eco-sanctuary, look and listen for more than30 species of native birds and reptiles, including tuatara, saddleback, hihi, takahe and many more. Zealandia’s 500-year vision is to restore the Sanctuary Valley as close as possible to its pre-human state.
To gain greater insight, you can join the Zealandia rangers for free talks at 12pm, 1pm, 2pm or 3pm daily.
Great sights and wonderful to walk around and see everything could be signposted a bit better but that's it.
Review by: Lukas P, September 2016
Incredible variety of NZ's native birds in a pre-European i.e. mammal-free habitat!
Review by: Vivienne B, February 2016
Spend a very enjoyable couple of hours at Zealandia, mostly in Sanctuary Valley. Unfortunately due to time we were unable to spend time in the exhibition. Shuttle Bus is free which is wonderful but unfortunately we just missed one and had to wait an hour for the next. Just make sure you get a timetable when booking so you have lots of time to enjoy this beautiful site.
Review by: bknute72, February 2016
This was a beautiful park to walk around and view the birds as well as the forest. We took the cable car up the mountain, then the free shuttle to the park. Spent a couple hours here, could have spent many more exploring all the trails. Well worth the money.
Review by: Carol P, December 2014
Wonderful day out for the two of us, but would suit all ages. We would have liked more time to walk the longer trails too. We arrived via the free shuttle from Wellington's I-Centre and arrived in time to join a free guided walk with one of the volunteers. This should not be missed as there is so much information given about preparing the Zealandia site and the ethos behind it. The place was beautiful and it was a joy to see all those birds - some thought extinct and some just not seen in the area for decades. We booked Zealandia on-line and did it while in port on a cruise ship, and it really is easy to get to and from. At the end of the day we were dropped at the top of the funicular but chose to walk straight down via the streets, having been through the beautiful Botanic Gardens numerous times before. I would highly recommend Zealandia to any visitors.
Review by: Don I, February 2014
Truly a highlight. I'd recommend this one to everyone.
Review by: Joseph W, January 2014
This was good value. The museum had an excellent display of NZ flora and fauna and the walk around the park very interesting.The free shuttle there and back made it an excellent way of understanding NZ
Review by: Headwaysalon, January 2013
We had a very good day
Review by: Kuin L, June 2012
A nice and interesting trip. I didn't allow enough time on this occasion. I will allow more time on the next occasion.
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