Auckland, North Island

Butterfly Creek animals

Buttermilk Farm - a highly interactive farmyard that provides a great chance for the little kids, (and the big kids at heart) to come up close to their favourite farmyard animals.

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Butterfly Creek

Butterfly Creek dinosaur kingdom

Dinosaur Kingdom features over 40 dinosaurs! Some are life size that roar and move; the kids will love them and learn a lot about these prehistoric predators.

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Our fantastic Crocodile encounters happen every day at 1pm. Come along and see the keepers interact with our 2 huge salt-water crocs, Scar & Goldie.

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Visit Buttermilk Farm, a petting zoo where children come up close to favourite farmyard animals

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Host your next birthday party at Butterfly Creek!

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Come to Butterfly Creek where we have an amazing birthday package and the birthday child goes free.

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Butterfly Creek Dinosaur Kingdom

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The train circulates Butterfly Creek and is thoroughly enjoyed by little ones!

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Butterfly Creek parties: there is a choice of 3 party rooms, plus yummy food, friendly animals, roaring dinosaurs and a train ride.

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Butterfly Creek – Buttermilk Farm

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Come to Butterfly Creek where we have an amazing birthday package and the birthday child goes free.

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Walk among the enormous herbivores and fierce carnivores, meet a Triceratops mother about to protect her young from a T-Rex, beware the vicious Velociraptor.

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Visit Butterfly Creek where you can see a great range of reptiles including the Inland Bearded Dragon, Blue Tongue Lizard, Leopard Geckos, Water Dragons and Alligators.

Butterfly Creek

A fantastic day out year round, Butterfly Creek is home to NZ’s only giant saltwater crocodiles, Scar and Goldie, plus the Tropical Butterfly House which features over 750 free-flying exotic butterflies, as well as tropical fish, bird and lizards. Be amazed at our brand new exhibit - Dinosaur Kingdom, featuring over 40 dinosaurs, some lifesize that roar and move! You will have the chance to see alligators and monkeys plus visit Buttermilk Farm, a petting zoo where children come up close to favourite farmyard animals like kunekune pigs, alpacas and cockatoos. Or you can climb aboard the Red Admiral Express, the miniature train, to ride around Butterfly Creek. With an entertaining playground for the kids and the Papillion café and bar providing breakfast, lunch and a kids' menu, Butterfly Creek offers the best family day out by a long shot!

Latest Exhibit – Mythic Creatures

Butterfly Creek is alive with Mythic Creatures!

Head to Butterfly Creek these holidays to see some of the world’s most fantastical legends come to life. Take a walk around the park and find Dragons, Unicorns, Serpents, Aliens, magical Mermaids, the mythical Kraken and many more amazing creatures.

Like Dinosaur Kingdom, many of the creatures are life-sized & some even move & make sounds! It’s a very magical experience for children and adults as you wander around Butterfly Creek. The new exhibit is included in the current All Attractions pass, so there is no extra cost to visitors.

Encounters

There are many exciting encounters to experience at Butterfly Creek.  Select from the list below to learn about what each involves and how you can experience these firsthand today.
Every day of the year you can get up close and personal with our animals!  Our popular Crocodile show happens every day at 1pm. Come along and see the keepers interact with one of our 2 huge salt-water crocs – Scar & Goldie.
All encounter times are subject to change. 
Please note the Crocodile show does not involve feeding in every show.

Crocodiles - home to NZ's only giant salt water crocodiles.  Our fantastic Crocodile encounters happen every day at 1pm.  Come along and see the keepers interact with our 2 huge salt-water crocs, Scar & Goldie.

Dinosaur Kingdom - Dinosaur Kingdom features over 40 dinosaurs! Some are life size that roar and move; the kids will love them and learn a lot about these prehistoric predators.

Butterfly House - Australasia's premier butterfly house, featuring over 750 free-flying tropical butterflies.

Buttermilk Farm - a highly interactive farmyard that provides a great chance for the little kids, (and the big kids at heart) to come up close to their favourite farmyard animals.

Aquarium - an aquarium area with NZ's largest range of tropical fresh-water fish and NZ’s largest marine coral aquaria – both teeming with a wide variety of fascinating fish.

Reptiles - Blue Tongue Lizard, Long Neck Turtle, Bearded Dragon & Red eared Turtle.

NEW! Mythic Creatures - dragons, unicorns, serpents and more...

Junior Keeper - do you love animals and want to learn more about caring for them?  Or ever dreamed of being a zookeeper?  Check out how you can get involved in Butterfly Creek's Zoo Keeper programme for a day.

 

Prices and Opening Hours
For full price and planning information on your visit to Butterfly Creek click here >>
Family passes are available.

Map
Want to know your way around before you visit.  Click here for a detailed map of Butterfly Creek.

Cafe & Playground
Butterfly Creek Café enjoys a unique, vibrant setting, with excellent indoor/outdoor flow on to the courtyard and playground areas.  It is a great place to meet friends and family in the weekend. Enjoy the view from the café’s sunny deck, or you can enjoy the outside courtyard facing the wonderful children’s playground.

Parents Room 
We have a dedicated parents room located right next to Curly’s playground.  A quiet spot to feed or change nappies.

Birthday Parties

To host your next birthday party at Butterfly Creek click here for further information.  We have two party options to choose from, the Butterfly or T-Rex package.

School Holiday Programmes

A great destination for holiday programmes, for more information and details along with pricing and booking form click here.

North Island

South Island

Map of New Zealand
  • Central Otago
  • Auckland
  • Bay of Plenty
  • Christchurch
  • Dunedin
  • Coromandel
  • Gisborne
  • Fiordland
  • Hawkes Bay
  • Marlborough Sounds
  • Manawatu
  • Nelson & Golden Bay
  • Northland
  • North Canterbury
  • Queenstown
  • Rotorua
  • South Canterbury
  • Taranaki
  • Southland
  • Taupo
  • Wanaka
  • Waikato
  • Wellington
  • West Coast
  • Whangarei
  • Bay of Islands
  • Tauranga
  • Gisborne
  • Hamilton
  • Napier
  • Kapiti
  • Palmerston North
  • Whanganui
  • New Plymouth
  • Arrowtown
  • Te Anau
  • Akaroa
  • Ashburton
  • Hanmer
  • Kaikoura
  • Methven
  • Mt Cook
  • Oamaru
  • Tekapo
  • Timaru
  • Abel Tasman
  • Motueka
  • Nelson Lakes
  • Blenheim
  • Picton
  • Catlins
  • Gore
  • Stewart Island
  • Central Plateau
  • Invercargill
  • Cromwell
  • Greymouth
  • Hokitika
  • Westport
  • Glenorchy

Our favourite destinations…

Auckland

New Zealand’s economic heart and biggest city is also an exciting family visitor destination, situated on a sunny harbour with city beaches just minutes away from the CBD. Orientate yourself by heading down to Viaduct Harbour, wandering the waterfront, checking out the super yachts or enjoying the waterfront restaurants. Nearby is the must-visit Sky Tower along with excellent and kid-friendly museums and tons of exciting activities!

Wellington

Wellington is New Zealand’s capital. Here you will find New Zealand's parliament buildings, including the 'Executive Wing', more well-known as 'The Beehive' due to its distinctive shape. Another icon to look out for is the Wellington Tram, which was the main means of public transport between 1878 and 1964.

Christchurch

With a population of around 400,000 Christchurch, in Canterbury, is the South Island ’s largest city, yet much of it has the feel of a small town. Perhaps that’s why it’s known as the Garden City but with the expansive Hagley Park, Botanic Gardens, Port Hills, River Avon and numerous beaches the city certainly has an open, relaxed feel that’s hard to beat.

Queenstown

With its well-deserved reputation as New Zealand’s activity adventure capital you’ll never run out of activities and things to do in Queenstown, but you may run out of time! With breathtaking scenery, activities and festivals, cafes and restaurants, skiing and snowboarding, shopping and wineries, this lakeside alpine resort rates as one of the world’s top vacation destinations for all ages and seasons.

Rotorua

Rotorua sits on the shore of Lake Rotorua, one of sixteen lakes in the area formed by hundreds of thousands of years of eruptions from the Taupo Volcanic Zone. The area is renowned for its geothermal activity and top of any activity list is to see the bubbling mud pools that are around the region for yourself. The Waimangu Volcanic Valley offers a first hand insight into the devastation caused by the 1886 eruption of Mount Tarawera and is a great place to discover steaming volcanic craters and bubbling, spitting  pools of mud!

Nelson and Golden Bay

The Nelson and Golden Bay regions, at the top of the South Island, boast enviable sunshine hours, glorious sandy beaches, safe swimming spots, lots of wildlife to look out for, and Abel Tasman National Park - an absolute must to explore, on foot, by kayak, your own craft or watertaxi.  Nelson is home to a vibrant arts and crafts community with a fabulous Saturday market, and is close to award-winning wineries and family-friendly bike tracks to take you around the coast.

Hawkes Bay

Napier was rebuilt after the 1931 earthquake and is now known as NZ's Art Deco City.  The Art Deco influence has created a unique city – nowhere else can you see such a varied concentration of art deco style. With over 2,200 sunshine hours a year, Napier is a year-round holiday destination with countless activities to entertain the kids – there's days of entertainment on Marine Parade alone, plus numerous other family-friendly trips and activities.  Add to that the beaches, walks and flat cycle paths, outdoor cafes and entertainment, and you have a perfect holiday destination!

Northland

Beautiful, unspoiled beaches, fishing, historic gum fields, kauri forests – the Far North has it all. With subtropical temperatures, it's often known as ‘the Winterless north', with warm, humid summers and mild winters.
Gateway to the Bay of Islands, Paihia is a pretty, lively beachside town and a perfect base for your family holiday. It’s your start point for Bay of Island adventures including day cruises, sailing, kayaking, swimming with dolphins and reef or wreck diving.