Wellington Zoo

Wellington


Committed to conservation, research and captive breeding, Wellington Zoo is home to a menagerie of native and exotic wildlife, including lions and tamarins. The nocturnal house has kiwi and tuatara. ‘Close encounters’ allow you to meet the big cats, red pandas, giraffes and mischievous meerkats (for a fee). The zoo is 4km south of the city centre; catch bus 23.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Wellington attractions

1. New Zealand Cricket Museum

1.38 MILES

Tucked under a stand at the Basin Reserve, the NZ Cricket Museum is a must-see for fans of the old game. It's only open during cricket matches or by…

2. Pukeahu National War Memorial Park

1.48 MILES

It seems strangely fitting that NZ's National War Memorial should be a musical instrument and contain as its centrepiece not a statue of a soldier, but of…

3. Nairn Street Cottage

1.6 MILES

Just a five-minute amble from the top of Cuba St, Wellington's oldest cottage (1858) has been carefully restored, complete with an organic garden and…

4. Mt Victoria Lookout

1.65 MILES

The city's most impressive viewpoint is atop 196m-high Mt Victoria (Matairangi), east of the city centre. You can take bus 20 most of the way up, but the…

5. Bucket Fountain

1.94 MILES

Cuba Mall's landmark (and sneakily splashy) fountain mocks the surrounding commerce with its Zen-like tilt-and-pour processes. The kids (and the wandering…

6. Te Papa

2.03 MILES

New Zealand's national museum is hard to miss, taking up a sizeable chunk of the Wellington waterfront. ‘Te Papa Tongarewa’ loosely translates as …

7. City Gallery Wellington

2.19 MILES

Housed in the monumental old library in Civic Sq (the new library is next door), Wellington’s much-loved City Gallery does a cracking job of securing…

8. St Mary of the Angels

2.2 MILES

Closed for seismic strengthening and restoration from 2013 to 2017, this pretty Catholic parish church is looking downright heavenly. Built in 1922, it…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "new-zealand/wellington/attractions/wellington-zoo/a/poi-sig/440858/362813",
      "destination": "Wellington",
      "continent": "Australia-&-Pacific",
      "country": "New-Zealand",
      "city": "Wellington",
      "position": "superzone"
    }