Auckland Zoo

Auckland Zoo Auckland Zoo is a not-for-profit organisation focused on conserving wildlife and wild places.

At the heart of all Auckland Zoo's work and activities is its mission: "to bring people together to build a future for wildlife”. Auckland Zoo plays a vitally important role in breeding, research and recovery programmes for threatened wildlife. In fact, a portion of your ticket goes towards the Auckland Zoo Conservation Fund to support both local and international field-based projects.

Ka pai Natasha! You’re our Zoo Snaps winner for July!Natasha timed her moment well, photographing a zebra through the na...
29/08/2026

Ka pai Natasha! You’re our Zoo Snaps winner for July!

Natasha timed her moment well, photographing a zebra through the natural frame created by a giraffe's legs.

Please note: Due to an external issue, the upload form on our Zoo Snaps page (aucklandzoo.co.nz/zoosnaps) is currently down. While we’re working on a fix for this, any entries made via Instagram using the hashtag in August will continue to be considered for our monthly prize.

Our monthly photography competition is kindly supported by Nikon New Zealand. Each of our 12 monthly winners will go in the draw to win an overall photography prize pack (as voted by you) which includes a Nikon Mirrorless camera.

28/08/2026

We’re back with our 5 facts series – the common ostrich!

Join multi-team keeper Renny, as he shares 5 large facts about the largest bird in the world. They even have largest egg of all land mammals. Everything is big with these fascinating birds.

You can spot the ostriches down in the African Safari Track next time you visit.

27/08/2026

Watch otter Agus cleverly secure his kai! 🦦

This incredible footage was taken by carnivore keeper Connor, and shows Agus diving in slow motion to catch two mussels with each paw – impressive!

Otters have webbed paws and incredibly flexible wrists, which help them grasp objects, crack open shellfish, and even hold hands with each other.

Check them out at our Lowlands habitat on the beautiful South East Asia Jungle Track.

Lovebirds of a feather, nest together! Ahead of spring nesting time, our lovebirds have some nifty new nestboxes, painte...
26/08/2026

Lovebirds of a feather, nest together!

Ahead of spring nesting time, our lovebirds have some nifty new nestboxes, painted by the wonderfully talented tamariki at Westmere School.

We have 55 lovebirds in this aviary, and every year they spend many hours creating the perfect nest. Our bird team provide the birds with fresh browse weekly which they shred and chew to build their nests – and last year, we had 9 successful hatches!

Westmere School painted the original nestboxes in this aviary 10 years ago, so it made perfect sense to reach out to them. The teachers ran a lunch club over the term for the junior and middle classes who started painting in the base colours. Next, the senior school students took over, and they’ve been adding the detail in over the past few weeks. A massive thank you to the students for their awesome mahi.

Bird keeper Jasmine was there to receive the completed nestboxes at the Zoo, and they’ll soon be installed in our Africa aviary. Keep an eye out for them!

Promising signs for this beautiful hawksbill sea turtle 💚Recently, members of Te Haumihi - Ngāti Kuri discovered a stran...
24/08/2026

Promising signs for this beautiful hawksbill sea turtle 💚

Recently, members of Te Haumihi - Ngāti Kuri discovered a stranded hawksbill turtle along Te Oneroa-a-Tōhē and contacted the Department of Conservation. From there, Team Turtle sprang into action!

The sea turtle journeyed on an Air New Zealand flight to Auckland, to receive care at our Auckland Zoo veterinary hospital. Our vet team carried out a full health assessment, including a physical exam, blood tests, radiographs and fluid therapy, and the turtle was gradually warmed in a specialised tank, with temperatures increased slowly each day.

Once its condition improved, our vet team introduced nutritional support through tube-feeding. As its body temperature returned to normal, the turtle was moved into a swim tank, where it soon became bright, active and began eating squid on its own.

Now showing encouraging signs of recovery, the turtle has been transferred to SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton's Aquarium for the next stage of its rehabilitation. Our vet team will continue providing specialist support, working closely with Kelly Tarlton's kaimahi to give this taonga species the best possible chance of returning to the wild.

This rescue highlights the incredible work of Team Turtle, a conservation partnership dedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating and returning stranded sea turtles to Northland beaches.

If you find a stranded sea turtle on a beach in Aotearoa New Zealand, please call 0800 DOC HOT immediately so it can receive the care it needs.

21/08/2026

My, how they grow up fast!

Watch as Enzi, Cahya, Bahmi and Zuka grow on their way towards adulthood.

Giraffe Enzi was born on 13 January 2024. At her first weigh in, she was 101 kg. Now, at two years old, she’s a whopping 684 kg!

Sumatran tiger Cahya was born on 2 January 2024. She weighed 42 kg at her first weigh in and has now doubled that to 84.5 kg and is a splitting image of her mother.

Bornean orangutan Bahmi was born on 20 March 2022. At just 3.5 kg at his first weigh in, he’s now 14.8 kg at four years old. And he’s still got plenty of growing up to do! Bahmi will remain with his mother for around 6 to 9 years, one of the longest childhoods in the animal world.

Southern white rhino Zuka was born on 13 December 2024. At one and a half years old, he weighed 120 kg. Now, he’s a massive 756 kg and as a full adult he could get up to two tonnes!

We’re delighted to see each of them healthy, strong and hitting all of their milestones!

20/08/2026

How do you X-ray a 50 kg sea turtle?

Join our Zoo vet team as they take on the challenge of X-raying a green sea turtle that washed ashore in Kaitaia a few weeks ago.

X-rays are one of the quickest ways to determine what might be wrong with sick turtles, allowing our vets to examine their flippers, head, lungs, and other internal structures. This full-body exam, along with blood samples, gives a clearer understanding of the turtle's condition and how best to treat it, as it’s our hope we can give this sick turtle a second chance at life.

If you see a sea turtle in need of help, call the DOC emergency hotline on 0800 DOC HOT and follow their advice.

19/08/2026

Join us in celebrating World Orangutan Day! 🦧

Follow along as primate keeper Lindi explains how you can tell the difference between an adult male orangutan like Charlie, and females Melur and Daya.

All three species of orangutans (Bornean, Sumatran and Tapanuli) are endangered in the wild. We work with our conservation partners at the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme and Sumatran Ranger Project to conserve and protect orangutan in Sumatra – and you support this work every time you visit.

See the whole whānau at our South East Asia Jungle Track.

Who are nature’s punks? These tamarins have style in their cotton-tops!Cotton-top tamarins are famous for the tufty whit...
16/08/2026

Who are nature’s punks? These tamarins have style in their cotton-tops!

Cotton-top tamarins are famous for the tufty white hair on their heads, but they’re also one of the world’s rarest primates.

Their omnivorous diet mostly consists of vegetables and bugs, like locusts and mealworms which are rich in protein. Our primate keepers will also fill up feeders with fruit and vegetables so these clever monkeys can enjoy foraging for fresh snacks throughout the day.

These tamarins are predominantly found in a small, forested area of north-western Colombia. Unfortunately, their rainforest habitat has shrunk to just 8% of its original size due to agriculture and logging. Likewise, tamarin populations have declined rapidly over the last two decades and it is thought there are just 7,500 of these tamarins remaining today.

Join us in celebrating and raising awareness for these tiny monkeys for International Cotton-top Tamarin Day!

Check out these beautiful locals! 🦎 We’re celebrating our often-cryptic Kiwi neighbours for .There are more than 140 sp...
14/08/2026

Check out these beautiful locals! 🦎 We’re celebrating our often-cryptic Kiwi neighbours for .

There are more than 140 species of lizards (mokomoko) in Aotearoa New Zealand – and experts are still finding more! Our lizards are split into two groups: geckos and skinks.

How can you tell them apart? Geckos are generally heavier, have loose skin, small scales, and are unable to blink (which is why they lick their eyes to keep them clean!), while skinks typically have small legs, no visible neck, long tails and smooth skin.

Our skinks are particularly amazing as all but one of our 78 species gives birth to live young. You might remember our video last year when we were able to film an awakōpaka skink giving birth – something that had never been filmed before!

The Australian rainbow skink is the only non-New Zealand lizard to have become established here and is the skink you see the most often in urban areas. More than 90% of our native lizard species are threatened and at risk of extinction, which is why conservation efforts are so important.

You can help to support lizard habitats in your own backyard by planting native shrubs like Coprosma and Muehlenbeckia that provide kai and refuge, or you can create rock and log piles within sunny spots in your garden for basking.

We have a whole myriad of lizards you can visit at the Zoo, and we care for even more behind-the-scenes for breed for release and conservation recovery programmes with the Department of Conservation. Head to ‘The Islands’ to see lizards like the moko kākāriki/elegant gecko, Duvaucel’s gecko and jeweled gecko, or the ‘High Country’ to visit grand and Otago skinks.

Address

99 Motions Road
Auckland
1022

Opening Hours

Monday 9:30am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 9:30am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 9:30am - 4:30pm
Thursday 9:30am - 4:30pm
Friday 9:30am - 4:30pm
Saturday 9:30am - 4:30pm
Sunday 9:30am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+6493603805

Website

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