• travel_explore
    The West Coast Explore New Zealand, Australia & Fiji!
    tune
  • image_search
    Search The West Coast... Experiences, attractions, dining & more

The National Kiwi Centre - Entry

4.5
47
Get up close and interactive with living icons of the West Coast at The National Kiwi Centre in Hokitika!

Get up close and interactive with living icons of the West Coast at The National Kiwi Centre in Hokitika!

Highlights

  • Meet New Zealand's national icons and see live kiwis!
  • Catch and release a crayfish and feed the giant eels!
  • See our team feed the North Island Brown kiwi

Meet our live kiwi, tuatara, giant long fin eels, crayfish, endemic fish, tropical fish, frogs, turtles and much more on this family friendly adventure.

Enjoy interesting commentary as our wildlife experts feed the endangered North Island Brown Kiwi. Experience for yourself what its like to feed our gigantic longfin eels 10am, 12pm and 3pm daily and try your skills at catching and releasing freshwater crayfish in our indoor lake area.

The National Kiwi Centre is situated in the heart of Hokitika in an undercover facility where you can meet the incredible wildlife in our specially designed nocturnal house that replicates their natural environment. A fun filled and informative activity the whole family will enjoy.

Adult $36.00
Child $20.00 (5-16 years old)

What's included

  • Entry to the National Kiwi Centre
  • Eel and kiwi feedings

Location

  • 64 Tancred Street
  • Hokitika 7810
  • New Zealand

Child Friendly

  • This experience welcomes families with children.

Notes

  • Please Note: Children under 5 years are Free.

    Kiwi and Eel Feeding Times: 10:00am, 12:00pm and 3:00pm every day.

    Opening Hours:

    Summer Season 9:00am to 5:00pm

    Winter Season 9:30am to 4:30pm

    Last admission is 30 minutes before closing.

Available Bookings from 20 Jan to 2 Feb 2026

Change Dates

All prices are shown in NZD ($)

Tue 20 Jan
Wed 21 Jan
Thu 22 Jan
Fri 23 Jan
Sat 24 Jan
Sun 25 Jan
Mon 26 Jan
Tue 27 Jan
Wed 28 Jan
Thu 29 Jan
Fri 30 Jan
Sat 31 Jan
Sun 1 Feb
Mon 2 Feb

Bookings close in 5 hours...

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$28.70 Less than 6 at this price!
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$28.70 Less than 6 at this price!
  • Child$20.00

Bookings close in 6 hours...

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

Bookings close in 7 hours...

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

Bookings close in 8 hours...

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

Bookings close in 9 hours...

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

Bookings close in 10 hours...

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

Bookings close in 11 hours...

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

  • Adult$36.00
  • Child$20.00

Authenticated Reviews & PhotosAll of our reviews are from people who have booked and paid for this activity thru Bookme

Authenticated Reviews & PhotosAll of our reviews are from people who have booked and paid for this activity thru Bookme

4.5

47 reviews

Showing all 47 authenticated Bookme reviews

Carlotta Martiniello from Australia wrote on 20 March 2023

Great kiwi experience

Really enjoyed it here, went to the 9.30am session, spent along time watching the kiwis, they were quite active. We even got to listen to their calls which was fun. Enjoyed the eel feeding as well, the talk given about them was informative and entertaining.

verifiedVerified purchase Share Link

From The National Kiwi Centre - Entry

Thank you, it is always good to hear people enjoyed their visit. I hope you enjoy the rest of your holiday.

Tania Harrison from Australia wrote on 17 July 2025

National Kiwi Centre - highly recommend!

It was a wonderful experience right from the start to the finish! We were greeted by friendly and helpful staff and the wildlife carer's were very professional and educational. The centre was really well laid out and clean. The animals look very well kept and it was amazing to be able to see 2 Kiwis in captivity. There were activities for the kids and I loved the game of search for the cards to win a chocolate fish - what a great idea!!!

verifiedVerified purchase Share Link

From The National Kiwi Centre - Entry

Thank you so much for your lovely review , we are very pleased you had a great visit.

johnc69 from Australia wrote on 10 May 2025

Kiwi and Wildlife Sanctuary of New Zealand

Excellent interactive and educational experience

verifiedVerified purchase Share Link

From The National Kiwi Centre - Entry

Thank you for leaving us such great feedback.

Jane Vaughan from Australia wrote on 08 March 2024

Disappointing

I thought this place was about Kiwis, as the name would suggest and I thought it was a tour, as in booking a tour at a particular time, as in you’re asked to arrive five minutes early. Instead we walked through on our own, I had to ask for an information sheet and then we saw turtles and eels and trout and had to ask where the kiwis were, it was all a bit sad and disappointing. Staff were very sweet but I didn’t get it.

verifiedVerified purchase Share Link

From The National Kiwi Centre - Entry

Hi Jane - Maybe you were expecting to see displays like the larger aquariums have? We are a smaller, privately owned establishment, therefore do not have the ability to fund the very large 'flashy' displays that some individuals may expect ;-) However, we are very pleased that many of our visitors are well entertained by their visit here. We are sad to learn that you were not one of them. - kind regards from the team @ The National Kiwi Centre

David Ingle from New Zealand wrote on 05 December 2024

Visit

Great experience, feeding the Eels was epic and seeing a real Kiwi was so cool. Thank you

verifiedVerified purchase Share Link

From The National Kiwi Centre - Entry

Thanks for the awesome feedback.

close

Qualmark Certification

This award identifies a business with a high level of professionalism, a keen awareness of the impact it has on the environment and a commitment to a customer centric approach.

This award is evidence of a sophisticated tourism business that consistently exceeds visitor expectations. Their proactive leadership and management ensure the business's focus on continuously improving their economic, social and environmental performance to create genuine, constantly evolving and sustainable tourism experiences.

This award recognises the best sustainable tourism businesses in New Zealand. It denotes exceptional customer experiences at the heart of everything the company does. This business is leading the way in making the New Zealand tourism industry a world class sustainable visitor destination.

When you see the Qualmark logo, your activity of choice is endorsed by New Zealand Tourism's official quality assurance organisation and backed by leaders in the industry. It's your trusted guide to iconic activities and experiences that are awarded for their exceptionally high level of quality, safety and sustainability.

Sample menu

close
delete

Delete your content?

This item will be deleted immediately. You can't undo this action.