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The West Coast Explore New Zealand, Australia & Fiji!
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The West Coast Wildlife Centre is an all weather visitor attraction located in Franz Josef, presenting rare Kiwi in an authentic environment.
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Authenticated Reviews & PhotosAll of our reviews are from people who have booked and paid for this activity thru Bookme
Kiwis und Pinguine live gesehen
Michael Friedemann from
Germany
Kiwis und Pinguine live gesehen
Michael Friedemann from
Germany
Not fully open, but still worthwhile
Scott Chapman-Wallis from
United Kingdom
Not fully open, but still worthwhile
Scott Chapman-Wallis from
United Kingdom
Good indoor activity
Megan from
NZ
Good indoor activity
Megan from
NZ
Franz Josef - Glorious!
Trish from
NZ
Good place to visit in bad weather
Yanni Foo from
Singapore
Authenticated Reviews & PhotosAll of our reviews are from people who have booked and paid for this activity thru Bookme
Showing all 254 authenticated Bookme reviews
Anna Williams from Australia wrote on 03 March 2026
Great experience
Loved the wildlife centre. The penguins were so cute and the feeding was awesome
From Franz Josef - West Coast Wildlife Centre Entry
Thank you for the lovely review — we’re so pleased you enjoyed your visit! The Little Blue Penguins are certainly full of personality, and the feeding times are always a highlight for many of our visitors. Our team really enjoys sharing their stories and explaining the conservation work that goes into caring for these amazing birds. If you didn’t get the chance during your visit, remember that your ticket is valid for 48 hours with unlimited entry, so you’re very welcome to come back and enjoy the talks again or explore the other areas of the centre such as the Glacier Attraction, Wild West Coast storytelling area, and the VIP Backstage Pass where you can see behind the scenes of our kiwi conservation work. Thanks again for visiting and for supporting our conservation programmes. We’re delighted you had a great experience! 🐧🥝
Scott Chapman-Wallis from United Kingdom wrote on 18 January 2026
Not fully open, but still worthwhile
The latest part (penguin experience) wasn't open when we visited, so the team were offering discount tickets. The rest of it, kiwis and tuatara were worth visiting. Lots of information especially regarding the ongoing conservation efforts (project nest egg)
From Franz Josef - West Coast Wildlife Centre Entry
Thank you for your kind review — we’re really pleased you still enjoyed your visit. You’re quite right that when you visited the Little Blue Penguin Experience hadn’t opened yet, which is why we were offering discounted admission tickets at the time, and we really appreciate your understanding while that part of the centre was being completed. It’s great to hear you enjoyed seeing the kiwi and tuatara, and that the information about our conservation work — particularly Project Nest Egg — resonated with you. Our team is very proud of the role the centre plays in helping protect endangered species like the rowi kiwi, many of which have been hatched and raised here before being released back into the wild. If you’re ever back in Franz Josef, we’d love to welcome you again — the Little Blue Penguin Encounter is now open and adds a wonderful new dimension to the experience. Thanks again for visiting and for supporting our conservation work. 🥝🐧
Anjali Naik from United Kingdom wrote on 03 March 2026
Cute But Small
Great efforts at conservation but the centre is tiny especially considering the price of entry.
From Franz Josef - West Coast Wildlife Centre Entry
Thank you for your feedback — and we really appreciate your kind words about the conservation work. Our centre is intentionally designed to be quite intimate, allowing visitors to get unusually close to some of New Zealand’s most special wildlife while also supporting important conservation programs, including the incubation and hatching of endangered kiwi. While the building itself is compact, many visitors spend longer exploring the Glacier Attraction, our Wild West Coast storytelling area, and the VIP Backstage Pass experience, where you can see behind the scenes of our kiwi conservation work. These areas can sometimes be easy to miss on a quick visit. It’s also worth noting that your entry ticket is valid for 48 hours with unlimited re-entry, so many guests choose to return later the same day or the following day to catch talks and feeding sessions they may have missed, making the visit much better value. Thanks again for visiting and for supporting the conservation work we do here on the West Coast. 🥝🐧
Joanne Casey from Australia wrote on 07 March 2026
Average
For $65 it’s not worth it. Saw a kiwi and penguins being fed. Penguin talk was good, but other than that there really wasn’t much to see. Very over priced for what it was. Spent about an hour in there but if we weren’t there for the penguin feeding probably would have only spent about 20 mins.
From Franz Josef - West Coast Wildlife Centre Entry
Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback — we really appreciate it. It sounds like you enjoyed the penguin talk, which is great to hear, as our team puts a lot of effort into making that experience informative and engaging. From your comments, it may be that you missed a few parts of the centre during your visit, including the Glacier Attraction, our Wild West Coast storytelling area, and the VIP Backstage Pass experience, where visitors can see behind the scenes of our kiwi conservation work. Just to note as well, the ticket price you paid was part of a heavily reduced promotional rate, and your entry ticket is valid for 48 hours with unlimited re-entry, which many visitors use to come back the next day to enjoy the centre again and catch additional talks or feedings they may have missed the first time. We hope you might consider popping back during the validity of your ticket to explore the areas you didn’t get to see — there’s quite a bit more to discover, including the important conservation work being done here to help protect some of New Zealand’s most endangered wildlife. Thanks again for visiting and for sharing your thoughts. 🐧🥝
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Bethany Pearson from New Zealand wrote on 20 September 2024
Enjoyable experience
We were pleasantly surprised by this. It felt a bit like a small, local museum with interesting information about much more than the kiwi. The tuatara were a bonus too. A enriching way to pass time on a rainy day.