Lonely Planet voted the West Coast Wildlife Centre in the heart of Franz Josef as one of the 12 must see things to visit in New Zealand. This is the largest kiwi hatching facility in the South Island and the "must see" indoor all weather attraction in Franz Josef – home to the official hatching facility for the world's 2 rarest kiwis – the Rowi and Haast Tokoeka. See live kiwi during the day inside our nocturnal house, discover the interactive glacier attraction and West Coast storytelling areas... Read more

Come and view North Island Brown Kiwi in our nocturnal house. NZ giant longfin eels can be fed daily at 10 am, noon and 3 pm. We will feed our 2 kiwi after each eel feed. We have tuatara, native/tropical fish, turtles, frogs and axolotls. Families love to catch and release crawlies in our indoor lake area. This is an indoor activity. We are open 7 days a week. Summer hours 9 am to 5 pm, winter hours 9.30 am to 4.30 pm.Last admission half hour before closing. Good fun for the whole family! Read more