Willowbank Wildlife Reserve — Attraction in Christchurch

I was really impressed this visit. It has been a while and it has always been a great facility, but this visit it was obvious that Willowbank are focused on reinvesting their income in looking after the animals and providing a great experience for all. All the staff were really lovely and super helpful. The facilities are looking well cared for. There were staff and volunteers everywhere, looking after the wildlife and their environment. All the animals looked healthy and in good condition, out being playful and enjoying the sun and fresh food. I loved that you can enjoy all of this for just the gate entry fee (if you can get there more than twice a year its really economical to get an annual pass! and this showed by the good numbers of young families there on a sunny weekday), but that you could also pay extra to do a special Encounter with your choice of Capybara, Lemur, Bees, and guided tours. And that money is going back into the wildlife welfare. We did the Capybara Encounter - very well organised and managed, low stress on the animals - we just sat quietly and they came up to us to hand feed!!! So cool :) The facilities are designed to be accessible for all. Great for all ages There is a variety of different specialist areas to wander through, lots of hidden treasures. It's worth wandering around twice as we missed things the first time and free ranging birds move around, peacocks etc. You can attend feeding times as well. We spent most of the day there and had lunch at the cafe too, sat on the big deck in the sun watching the deer and the ducklings over the waterway. The Keas were hilarious. The nocturnal Kiwi enclosure is amazing, we went through twice and finally spotted all 3. We bought food and fed everyone we were allowed to (great signage letting you know so you don't hurt any of the animals tummies!) Has a well stocked gift shop as well. Lots of places to picnic and nice clean toilets...

Not just for kids! It annoys me when people write Willowbank off as less than it is and refuse to go thinking it's just a petting zoo. Yes, it's fantastic for kids but there's so much more! I've been taking my niece for years and we love to feed the birds. My partner loves to feed the farm animals, especially Sirius the stinky Billy goat. Earlier this year i injured my arm and was unable to work and going to willowbank regularly helped keep me sane! (very lucky is within walking distance of my house!) Willowbank is the best place to see nz wildlife in Christchurch, and comparable to excellent places like Auckland Zoo. Always a highlight for this bird nerd when the takahē is out and about (make sure you go quietly). Best kiwi enclosure I've seen anywhere because there's no glass between you and them and if you are lucky you can be centimetres away. Amazing. We've also done the lemur encounter which is pretty special. The cafe is pretty great with reasonable prices, lovely staff and yummy food. Pro tip - the best seats are down by the window near the outside door to watch what the weka are up to! You can also take your own food and have a picnic in the barnyard. Highly recommend the annual pass as you only need 2 visits to make it worthwhile and it's a year from the day you buy, not a calendar year. But the best bit is when it runs out they don't nag you, you just renew again from whenever you next visit is (they don't backdate it to whenever it ran out)!

Highly recommended for anyone visiting Christchurch with or without kids to go and sample some of our native wildlife and for locals as well to have fun in our own backyard. If you are lucky you might get "attacked" by a kea...

What a great place in the city to view so many of New Zealands native creatures!

Parking can be a challenge as it is a very popular attraction and even with their overflow car parks they can become full, with the constant flow of people you're not likely to be waiting too long for a spot though.

From the introduced section with the deer you can hand-feed to the farmyard section full of all kinds of farm animals to get up close and personal with you'll be spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing your favourite animal.

The unique New Zealand birdlife plays a key part in the walk through the reserve with the Kea enclosure letting you get up close and personal with the cheeky alpine parrots and the feeding times of various animals through the park let you see how well looked after and cared for these animals are.

The Kiwi exhibit is of course under dark lights and you definitely need to take care when walking around the area. You're pretty likely to hear the Kiwi before you see them so keep your ears open and let your eyes adjust to the darkness.

The Eels right at the start of the reserve are a great entry point, I'd say a solid 3/4 hours can be spent here enjoying the wildlife and it's a great introduction to any tourists who aren't aware of the variety that New Zealand has to offer. Pretty reasonably priced for the amount of time you can spend here and unique animals visible and the year long pass is a great option for locals.

Cafe/Restaurant available near the entrance however we didn't venture in and the gift shop is full of wildlife themed gifts...