Kiwi and Birdlife Park

Few people ever get to see the notoriously shy kiwi in the wild and the changes in the environment of this flightless bird mean that it is inching ever closer to extinction. However, New Zealand’s national bird, while elusive, is a wholly remarkable creature, which is why many tourists choose to pay the Kiwi Birdlife Park a visit while in Queenstown.

Here, visitors get a chance to see kiwi in the flesh during one of the four daily feeding sessions. Sessions last about 15 minutes and take place in the kiwi houses, beyond which the park extends over a beautiful green expanse popular with visitors from Queenstown and locals alike. Tourists can spend the better part of a day exploring the surrounding two hectares of bushland and are often rewarded with up-close views of a number of local species.

Along with the kiwi feeding sessions, two daily conservation presentations are also provided, while a wander through the kiwi houses and the rest of the park, with its numerous information points, will teach visitors a lot about the habitats of New Zealand's wildlife.

The park is also committed to sharing how we can save this iconic species and protect and preserve nature in general. The staff are very knowledgeable and are happy to answer any and all questions.

The kiwi park is a safe haven for a number of New Zealand’s other native wildlife too. There is, for example, the red-crowned parakeet and the morepork, New Zealand’s last remaining indigenous owl species, and coexisting peacefully next to these incredible birds are a number of reptiles and marsupials.

There is an admission fee for entry to the Kiwi Birdlife Park but parking is available free of charge and you can also walk to the park from the centre of Queenstown. You can buy snacks at the on-site café or you could bring along a picnic. The park is open every day except for Christmas Day.