Franz Josef Wildlife Center: Skip the Line Tickets with Optional Backstage Pass

Experience the Franz Josef Wildlife Center, the largest kiwi hatching facility in the South Island. Skip the line and get a backstage pass for an exclusive tour. Book now!

Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • West Coast Wildlife Centre - The centre is open every day from 8.30am.
    A free takeaway learning booklet is provided at no extra charge.
    All tickets purchased are valid for 48 hours. This means guests can come in and out of the attraction as often as they like.
    During your visit, you’ll be able to see live kiwi during the day inside the nocturnal…
What's Included
  • Goods and Services Tax (GST) included
  • Local taxes covered
  • Complimentary car parking
What's Not Included
  • Souvenir photos (available to purchase)
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • DVD (available to purchase)
Additional Information

Lonely Planet listed the West Coast Wildlife Centre as one of 12 must-visit attractions in New Zealand. Being the largest kiwi hatchery in the South Island, it’s the premier indoor all-weather visit in Franz Josef. Inside the nocturnal house, visitors are given the rare opportunity to see live kiwi during daylight hours, including some of the rarest…

Location
West Coast Wildlife Centre
Cnr Cowan & Cron Streets, Bright Green Building
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.5
(110 Ratings)
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Mikek929
Feb 22, 2025
Educational and enjoyable. - Our guide Steve was really informative. We learned more than we could possibly have hoped about both the Rowi Kiwi and the tuatara, a creature we had never previously have heard of. We then had a chance to see both creatures. Thoroughly professional and enjoyable.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Aaronpa5496tu
Feb 21, 2025
Friendly and knowledgeable staff - Friendly, knowledgeable staff. Nice gift shop with good food and coffee. I had the "invasive rabbit pot pie." You can do your part to reduce invasive rabbits in NZ and have a unique meal.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Judith
Feb 21, 2025
Worth a visit - Great front desk personal. Very informative and friendly. 48 hour pass so you can wander back in anytime to see the 2 Kiwi , the history of the coast and the Tuatara. Well worth doing the back stage tour about Kiwi and Tuatara. Our guide was very passionate about her work. Would highly recommend .
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Alison
Feb 21, 2025
Awesome tour - Was an amazing tour , so privileged to see the kiwis , Tuataras and the staff ensured we saw clearly by taking us through with the infrared torch . Also making sure we took our time to take in the smells . The front counter gentleman was very informative and friendly , he does an awesome job . The back stage part of the tour was very good and the guide was so passionate and enthusiastic. . We learnt so much Fully recommend the full tour for value and experience
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Estrella666
Feb 19, 2025
Kiwi Kudos - A superb job! The guided tour gave me a wonderfully entertaining education on kiwis, tuatara and glaciers. Tuatara have a third eye. Mind blown.!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
K5745ojpats
Feb 7, 2025
Franz Josef Wildlife Centre in NZ is worth a visit! - This centre is such an asset to NZ. They care so well for the animals & allow visitors to learn a lot about kiwi birds & tuatara lizards (that date back to the dinosaur era). The staff is friendly & enthusiastic & the shop is great too!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
David_s
Feb 4, 2025
Kiwi fun! - The ‘VIP backstage pass’ was well worth it. Our guide Steve was extremely knowledgeable and we learned so much more than just viewing the kiwi and tuatara (which was also great!).
Review provided by Viator
Journey26865158752
Jan 31, 2025
Great information about kiwis - Behind the scenes tour was very good! Lots of information about Kiwis and other local animals. The guide was very informative.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Carol
Jan 26, 2025
Very interesting - We did the backstage pass. Steve, our guide was excellent, knowledgeable, and passionate about the good work being done by the center to save the kiwi and Tuatara. I found the tour very interesting. Great way to pass a rainy day.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cruiser33891793878
Jan 23, 2025
Well worth a visit - Lovely informal but very informative behind the scene talk with Kath of everything you can possibly learn about Kiwis (and they are totally unique). It was a nice small group, just 4 of us and we also got to see a Tuatara close up. The gift shop is also very good and the cafe serves very good coffee and tasty sacks.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 8 guests
1 Adult
March 2025
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