Christchurch, South Island
Orana Wildlife Park
Orana Wildlife Park provides amazing opportunities for people to connect with wildlife. See Aotearoa’s only gorillas, hand feed majestic giraffe, meet mighty rhino up close, see the stunning tiger, observe kiwi and encounter mischievous kea. With 12 scheduled presentations daily, visitors can enjoy the antics of our meerkats, Tasmanian devils, friendly farmyard creatures, monkeys and much more! Visitors can board our Safari Shuttle for a tour of the zoo or join a guided walkabout to explore the Park. Orana’s adventure playground is fun for young and old, especially the 50m flying fox! With 185 hectares of grounds, you can travel Orana on foot (walkabout tour available), or by our Safari Shuttle.
Conservation
Orana is operated as a registered charitable trust. Over 60% of our income is generated through visitation and we separately raise 100% of funds for all developments, animal transfers and involvement in key conservation programmes. Park staff are proud to make genuine contributions to breed for release recovery programmes for threatened NZ native wildlife including kiwi, whio (blue duck), pāteke (brown teal), kākāriki karaka (orange-fronted parakeet), kōwaro (Canterbury mudfish) and Maud Island/Hamilton’s frog. By visiting the zoo, you are directly supporting our conservation work.
Price: Adult $39.50, Student $33.50 (ID required), Child $12.50 (5-15 years), Pre-schoolers FREE, Family $91.50 (2 adults + up to 3 children)
Child push chairs and buggies are available for hire. Wheelchairs are free to use.
Hours: Daily, 10am - 5pm (last entrance 4.00pm, closed Christmas Day) – check website for animal presentation times.
MUST-DO
Hand Feed the Giraffes - Hand feed our majestic giraffe at 12pm and 3pm daily.
For more information on feeding the Giraffes at Orana click here.
Meet NZ’s only gorillas! – Orana Wildlife Park’s Great Ape Centre is the single biggest project in our history.
For more information, including best viewing times on the gorillas at Orana please click here.
Rhino Encounter - This encounter takes place every day at 3.15pm. The Rhino Encounter is fully supervised and no additional charge applies.
For more information on the Rhino encounter at Orana please click here.
Farmyard Experience - Because of the importance Orana attaches to "hands-on" education, there is a farm area that gives visitors the opportunity to touch and pet a variety of friendly domestic animals. The farmyard is a critical component of the Orana Wildlife Park experience, as it has been developed to inspire children to take an interest in animals and the environment. 1pm daily.
For more information on the Farmyard Experience at Orana please click here.
NZ Native Fauna - Orana houses an exciting range of NZ natives such as the kiwi, tuatara, kea, geckos and more.
DAILY FEED AND TALK TIMES
Many other scheduled animal feeds available throughout the day. Be sure to check out full details on the animal presentations at Orana Wildlife Park by clicking here.
Picnic & Playground
Orana Wildlife Park is a family-friendly venue and there is something to entertain visitors of all ages for the entire day! Orana has a fantastic children’s adventure playground and plenty of picnic tables around the Park so we encourage you to pack a picnic, or purchase lunch at our fantastic cafe, and enjoy your lunch in our surroundings. There are two BBQ areas within the Park, one opposite the rhino habitat and the other one is the Zambesi BBQ area which is opposite the Farmyard. The gas barbecues in those areas are free to use (on a first-in, first-served basis).
Orana's Cafe
Orana’s café is open daily from 10am and serves sumptuous food. We have a wide range of delicious home style baking, espresso style coffees, deli-selection and daily specials.
EDUCATION
Zoo School - Orana Wildlife Park's education programme provides a wonderful educational environment offering, with many hands-on experiences that cannot be replicated in the classroom. Our on-site, registered teachers provide interactive learning experiences for students ranging from New Entrants to Year 13. Our team welcome suggestions for activities from all teachers. Entrance costs for schools are considerably discounted, but booking is essential.