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Willowbank Wildlife Reserve


TripAdvisor Traveller Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
TripAdvisor Popularity Index: #4 of 146 attractions in Christchurch
Traveller Description:
See Kiwi in a natural environment - there is no glass! Get close to Kea, Tuatara and other native icons. Willowbank Wildlife Reserve is also home to...... more » See Kiwi in a natural environment - there is no glass! Get close to Kea, Tuatara and other native icons. Willowbank Wildlife Reserve is also home to introduced and exotic breeds. Make your own way around the park and animals will eat right out of your hand. Choose either a day or evening visit, Willowbank is open from 10am to 10pm daily - kiwis are able to be viewed from 11am until 10pm. « less
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Attraction type: Wildlife park, Nature reserve
Address: 60 Hussey Rd Christchurch
New Zealand
Tel: 64 3 359 6226
Fax: 64 3 359 6212

Reviews you can trust

[ Date ] [ Rating ]
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2 of 5 stars
Vancouver, WA
22 Nov 2009

We visited this reserve recently with high expectations. This reserve seems to be geared to families with small children who will enjoy feeding animals. My partner and I enjoy seeing wildlife and hoped to see many examples of New Zealand wildlife. Unfortunately, most of the reserve was farm animals and exotic animals from other countries. Perhaps a third of the... more

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5 of 5 stars
San Francisco
5 Nov 2009

Kids will love feeding the eels, wallabies, birds, horses, etc. There are horsey rides for the kids too. We felt that this was the best attraction in Christchurch. more

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5 of 5 stars
Lorton, Virginia
16 Aug 2009
1/1 found this review helpful

We did the package with that included pick up/drop off at the B&B, dinner, the Maori experience Ko Tane (which I didn’t realize we were getting), and the guided night tour with the Kiwi (and other birds and critters). The kiwi in their natural habitat at night without glass was THE reason I booked this tour. The dinner was ok... more

19 Jul 2009
1/1 found this review helpful

Seeing kiwis in their natural habitat was a big reason why I went to Willowbank and I wasn't disappointed. A beautiful natural setting and a lay out that's easy to make your way around means you won't miss out on seeing anything. The animals range from the native to the exotic and all seem happy and well cared for. One... more

14 Mar 2009
1/1 found this review helpful

I stopped by here on my way to the airport because I had a couple of hours to kill. I'm so glad I did. This a truly fantastic place. The animals are given a lot of freedom to roam pretty much where they want, giving you a great opportunity to interact with them. Perhaps the best experience was the wallabies.... more

24 Jan 2009

My boyfriend and I were staying for 2 days in Christchurch and wanted to see a kiwi up close. After reading favourable reviews, we decided to make the trip out to Willowbank Wildlife Reserve, and weren't disappointed. We took a public bus out from Christchurch city - a relatively long trip but not too bad. We bought admission tickets as... more

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4 of 5 stars
Temple City, California
20 Dec 2008

We spent an afternoon at Willowbank (actually took the public bus out from the City Centre to Willowbank, which worked really well). We spent the first couple of days on our trip to New Zealand in Christchurch. The stop at Willowbank was a nice introduction to New Zealand wildlife, understanding who the birds are, the environmental issues, and learning about... more

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5 of 5 stars
Wentworthville, NSW
16 Mar 2008
3/3 found this review helpful

I visited 'Willowbank' on 9 March, it was abit of a rush, as I was on a bus tour, so limited time, but what I saw was most agreeable. Adults & kids will love this place, it's well spread out and the kids will love feeding the fresh water eels (mince purchased on site). The Maori village looked the real... more

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5 of 5 stars
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
30 Sep 2007
1/2 found this review helpful

been there last 2003. the place surely difren by now. btw, we spend there almost half day. nice place to visit. u surely will see the kiwi (to compare wit one place we visited near taupo). there was a friendly deer will follow u..she likes people may be :D structured park..from native to domestic.. but the most memorable is the... more

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5 of 5 stars
Derbyshire, UK
2 Aug 2007
4/4 found this review helpful

One of the best things we did on the South Island - a lovely buffet dinner followed by a tour of the reserve. Seeing the animals at night was a striking change from the usual nature-reserve experience. Seeing the kiwis running around in the shadows was wonderful. All the animals seemed well cared for and staff were great. A lovely... more

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Willowbank Wildlife Reserve Address

60 Hussey Rd, Christchurch, New Zealand
Tel: 64 3 359 6226 Fax: 64 3 359 6212