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Welcome to Halkett, New Zealand's hidden gem! Our page offers a plethora of exciting experiences and fun activities to choose from in this captivating destination. Whether you're seeking outdoor adventures, cultural immersion, or adrenaline-pumping thrills, you'll find it all in Halkett. Explore breathtaking hiking trails, embark on thrilling water sports, or indulge in mesmerizing wildlife encounters. With endless choices, Halkett guarantees an unforgettable journey filled with laughter and memories. Discover your next exhilarating experience with Halkett Things to Do!
Apart from the ape exhibit most of the enclosures are fairly basic, but there's an honesty that's appealing about 'Orana Park'. I get the imoression that everyone at 'Orana' ie workers and volunteers alike are passionate and truly care about the park and its animals. The animal zoo talks were enjoyable particularly the lions. And you can feed the giraffes for free or get closer to the lions or feed the lemurs for an extra fee. It was great having the shuttle transport available too.
Very well thought out space for the animals. Allow plenty of time, the animal feedings were we'll worth the visit. Loved the giraffes. The Lion enclosure was extra, but too see them up close was amazing. Highly recommend visiting Orana Park.
I had an enjoyable time with the wildlife, taking in this rare experience of the open park. I sat down with 'Fuzu', the gorilla and watched the antics of the meerkats. Don't go with the idea of completing a race circuit in record time but allow yourself a couple of hours to take it in. Families of all ages can follow the presentations in the pamphlet or design their own! You will go away feeling good, especially if the weather plays its part.
It was a unique experience, the animals are much closer to us as there are no bars confining the animals. They have space to coexist. And even though we had to walk a lot, it was a lot of fun and the stroller they rent us at the entrance to carry the child is very functional.
I love how awesome this place is with very close encounter with the animals and feeding! I would like to compliment the team there, they are lovely, friendly and so helpful! Shoutout to Cass, Pauline and the Rhino guy from Israel (sorry I don’t think we even asked him his name), and the lady at Farmyard! I have learned so much from them! Thank you very much for a great day!
I've been to animal parks and zoos all over the world, but I keep coming back to Orana because it's just so much more special, the conservation/breeding efforts and the respect that they give the animals allows them to live in the best possible conditions (while allowing the public ample veiwing). This park is the best example of how wild animals should be kept outside of the wild (and before anyone said that wild animals should only be in the wild! Loss if habitat makes that no longer an option!)
We spent over 5hours in the park and still didn’t see everything, had an absolutely amazing time, the gorillas were breathtaking, the giraffes so elegant and the meerkats so cheeky Loved it
First of all I booked the wrong day! And the helpful people at reception had no problem getting me in when I showed up. Thanks loads! Had heaps of fun it's great being able to interact with the keepers and see them feed the animals.
We spent 5 hours at Orana. Had a fantastic time getting close (behind barriers) to animals and a highlight was feeding the giraffes. So much to see and do. NZ is very spoilt to have Orana.
I’m not a fan of zoos in general but when one makes it it’s mission to rescue and preserve endangered species it gets a big tick. The volunteers and employees are the backbone of this place and they really care about the animals. Highly recommend a visit to this open range zoo and spend big in the gift shop so they can continue to do their important work.
It was awesome to be able to feed the Lemurs and Giraffes
There is alot of amazing animals. A fun day.
Leisurely time amongst the wildlife
Love to see the animals living in a safe and protected haven. You get to stand so close to the wildlife and observe them as if you are on a safari adventure! Love the cafe and the information provided by the helpful rangers. Would love to visit more frequently in future =) Thank you for the great work in sustaining this place.
fantastic place to visit very friendly staff , orana park very well looked after
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Lots of room for the animals and awesome enclosures for them. Some of the enclosures were empty though which was ashame. All the animals looked happy though :)
Amazing animal encounters, got to feed the giraffes and see animals I never knew existed. Amazing staff, awesome cafe and so many close up experiences. Would highly recommend!
Very nice zoo with close encounters. Only down was that the Lion experience is closed and that was not advertised anywhere. Animals presentation and feeding is a must. A nice way to spend half the day.
Visited Orana Park yesterday with my girls and we had a blast. Beautiful, sunny day for it (plenty of shade around the park.) Got in early at 10am to beat the lunchtime crowd but I'd recommend timing your visit a little later as most of the animals were still sleeping or hadn't had their morning coffee yet. Zzzzz..... Speaking of coffee, one star off for the very weird tasting latte (sour milk? ... Maybe Yak milk?)
A special day, loved seeing Gorillas, feeding a Giraffe and the all th other animals. The bus ride around the park is very informative and I suggest you do that right around first. The food at the cafeteria was very good as well. Great day had by all.
Well I'd have to say this is amongst the best wildlife places in NZ. Alot of walking, do be warned but there's also a shuttle incase. Saw alot more animals than expected, daughter was happy on her birthday. Definitely recommend going.
I haven't been to orana Park in a few years. We went as a group it was my first time taking my 3 boys! I was disappointed at the how many enclosures were empty or closed etc. I felt there was a lack of animals. We also got there just before 11. Got to the marekat inclousure at 1045 and they had already fed them. The staff were lovely. The playground was fantastic. Didn't see the cheetah, spider monkeys were gone, no tazmanian devil's. The otters had no water. But those gorilla's were absolutely amazing. Honestly if it wasn't for them I would have been disappointed. But they definitely made the experience! So it wasn't all bad. Was planning on buying the yearly family consision pass. But after our visit maybe next year we will re consider we will definitely be back though
Such an awesome experience! I definitely will be returning. Best advice is to make sure you get there early and make the most of it. That was my mistake coming late we missed a few cool experiences because the park is so big with so much to see and do
I loved this place the animals are so well cared for and the open spaces makes a huge difference. The staff were helpful and friendly and if you follow the feeding routine interacting is more likely. We took our toddler and there was also a farmyard section which I think small children would enjoy. Overall a fantastic experience and we would definitely return next time we are in Christchurch thanks Orana park we loved every minute Xx
Really enjoy the different and very rare species of birds and animals i love that place Higly recommand this place Must do Thank you Orana Wildlife Park
Nice spacious park. Don't go when it's wet though. Most of the animals were hiding.
We spent 4.5 hours here. We followed the feeds and got to learn a lot about the animals from the keepers. It was cold because its winter so dress warm. We went on a Monday and hardly anyone was there. So a good day to go. Loved sitting watching the gorillas, they were definitely the highlight of the day
I would've liked to have given a 5 star, however there were a couple of issues. One is accessibility both to get to the park and back and also getting around the park. There really should be a bus that goes to the park and back to town that doesn't cost $40 each way if you haven't got a car. I know that's more a NZ transport metro issue. Now there is a shuttle and I was also offered a wheelchair however the shuttle only stops at certain points and to get to some enclosures it means you have to backtrack or walk down more pathways. Hence I didn't get to see all the animals up close because of all the walking. The path to me doesn't seem wheelchair friendly unless someone had an electric wheelchair. Lots of gravel and slopes. There was a Lil bit of rubbish in the gullies and some parts looked overgrown. It's hard to see the lions through all that fencing. Mind I didn't realize there was another spot around the side for them. I'd say that it was hard to see some animals up close which I guess the good thing is it means lots of room for the animal to roam. You definitely need a good camera to get good photos. On the other hand it was really amazing to see the gorillas and feed the Giraffe. I was lucky cos one decided it would come over after many missed out on feeding them. And the staff are nice. My hot chips weren't cooked properly in the Cafe and the Chai the Cafe uses doesn't taste good. May need to change it. It was a nice day just sad I didn't get to see all and be involved in all the feeding times due to walking. Thanks
Enjoyed the visit
Wow what a fantastic wildlife park, we thoroughly enjoyed our morning there, highly recommend a definite must do in Christchurch ?
Great day out for the family! There’s something for everyone, and you can see the animals so well. Feeding them was great fun! The staff were fantastic.
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