Wellington Zoo was established in 1906, making it New Zealand’s oldest zoo. The zoo was originally opened because the prime minister at the time needed a place to keep his lion (named King Dick).
It has a large range of African, Asian and native wildlife. Some of the zoo’s more popular residents include baboons, chimpanzees, meerkats, Sumatran tigers, red pandas and tamarins.
The Nest Te Kohanga is a space where you can see the zoo’s veterinary team caring for wildlife and zoo animals. Every day at 11.15am one of the vets give a talk and you can ask them any meerkat or morepork health related questions you’re dying to have answered.
Every day there is a programme of talks by zoo staff, admission to these is included in the zoo admission charge and include talks about chimpanzees, giraffes, kea, kiwi, lions, penguins, red pandas, sun bears and tigers.
For something more involved than a talk, the zoo features a programme of Close Encounter experiences that involve a 30-minute encounter with a specific animal where zoo staff will answer any questions and in many cases you also have the opportunity to pat (and in some cases hold) the animal. Obviously the level of interaction will depend on how dangerous the animals are, for instance you may be able to have a lemur or red panda sit in your lap for a unique photo opportunity, but don’t expect to get as intimate with a lion. The Close Encounter programme is available for cheetahs, lions, giraffes, lemurs, meerkats and red pandas. It is an intimate experience with only 2–4 people in each Close Encounter experience. The Close Encounter programme costs $99–150 (depending on which animal you have chosen), but the cost does include zoo entry. It is essential to book these online through the Wellington Zoo website.
Wellington Zoo is located in the Town Belt in Newtown, around 3.5km south of the city centre.