The oldest zoo in New Zealand, dating from 1906, Wellington Zoo was far better than expected. Home to over 500 animals, including exotic ones such as a red panda and sun bears, it was one of the best presented zoos I’ve visited. A wet, cold and grim day in June wasn’t ideal, as most of the animals were sensibly sheltering from the elements, but I took advantage of free entry post Covid-19 lockdown.
Despite the weather at least one meerkat needed to be on guard duty, looking rather damp on top of their shelter, though others came out to run around.
The Australian section was open for people to get up close to the wallabys and emus, but thankfully the dingos and skink were behind fences / glass.
The bug collection was nicely presented in carton style.
I loved the giraffes, they’re such unusual animals, particularly in the way they move.
I mistook this for an amazing adventure playground, but it was for the chimps.
There were some pretty cool playground features for children though.
The zoo is beautifully landscaped, with lots of colour and planting.
An aviary is home to four kea, which I’ve seen a number of times in the wild but rarely as close as they were here.
A few more photos from around the zoo.
I returned a few months later on a gloriously sunny spring day, with much better light for photography…
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