Franz Josef Wildlife Center: Skip the Line Tickets with Optional Backstage Pass

Experience the Franz Josef Wildlife Center, the largest kiwi hatching facility in the South Island. Skip the line and get a backstage pass for an exclusive tour. Book now!

Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • West Coast Wildlife Centre - The centre is open every day from 8.30am.
    A free takeaway learning booklet is provided at no extra charge.
    All tickets purchased are valid for 48 hours. This means guests can come in and out of the attraction as often as they like.
    During your visit, you’ll be able to see live kiwi during the day inside the nocturnal…
What's Included
  • Goods and Services Tax (GST) included
  • Local taxes covered
  • Complimentary car parking
What's Not Included
  • Souvenir photos (available to purchase)
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • DVD (available to purchase)
Additional Information

Lonely Planet listed the West Coast Wildlife Centre as one of 12 must-visit attractions in New Zealand. Being the largest kiwi hatchery in the South Island, it’s the premier indoor all-weather visit in Franz Josef. Inside the nocturnal house, visitors are given the rare opportunity to see live kiwi during daylight hours, including some of the rarest…

Location
West Coast Wildlife Centre
Cnr Cowan & Cron Streets, Bright Green Building
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.6
(121 Ratings)
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Honestreviewer_10976
Jul 21, 2025
- Such an awesome activity to do on a rainy day in Franz. It was very informative and staff were unbelievably friendly. The two kiwi birds are so close and it’s interesting to see them, hear them and watch them. The ticket allows you to return the next day and we visited the centre a total of 3 times. It was awesome. Thank you!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cenesla
May 28, 2025
10/10 - Unique Experience - We absolutely loved this wildlife centre and our experience here! We were staying across the road so came to view it a few times - the kiwi and the tuatara were magical! We also got the backstage pass which was definitely worth it. Steve our guide was amazing. He was so knowledgeable and gave us plenty of interesting, unique and incredible facts about the kiwi hatching area and the tuataras. Wouldn’t have learnt all these facts otherwise!!! Other than the tour, my other favourite part was being up close to the kiwi! It’s pretty surreal having them that close. My parents also loved walking around the museum part and learning more about the ice bergs. Highly recommend, the staff are lovely, you learn a lot and looking at the kiwi and tuatara is such a unique experience. I will definitely be back next time I’m visiting!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Matthewof6399yy
May 17, 2025
Would recommend backstage tour - We booked the backstage tour package which gave us access to the Kiwi hatching and Tuatara room. Our guide was excellent and informative. The facility is quite small and would not take long to walk around if you booked without the backstage tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jenju270ox
Apr 29, 2025
Hugely worthwhile tour - A fantastic tour with great detail on the Kiwi and Tuatara by a passionate guide who was engaging and informative. A real highlight was being able to see the kiwi in the nocturnal enclosure.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Melinkah2025
Apr 23, 2025
Fun and interesting! - The information was great and it was cool to see the tuatara and kiwi! I learnt a lot of interesting facts as well. I really didn’t know that the tuatara was extinct on the mainland!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
891bjw
Apr 13, 2025
Lovely wildlife center! - Educational and interesting wildlife center in the center of town. It was great to see two kiwi in their natural habitat, learn about glaciers, see a tuatara, and enjoy a bite of food. Also available is a backstage tour! Wonderful people, and a good way to spend an hour or so!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Diane
Apr 3, 2025
Awesome kiwi experience - excellent behind the scenes tour with steve on a rainy morning. Steve provided great insight to the kiwi. Super cool to go to the nocturnal house to see the kiwi in the habitat
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sfs2
Mar 20, 2025
An unmissable Kiwi experience at Franz Joseph - Do not miss this. Small but impressive. See kiwis live in a natural setting - ask for one of the staff to come in with an infra-red torch as you will be in the dark (kiwis are nocturnal) and ask them to explain everything. An absolutely brilliant and unmissable experience. And, it doesn't end there! There is a great little museum explaining glaciers and about some of the ecological issues affecting New Zealand.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Wander00903355677
Mar 4, 2025
An eye opener - Very satisfying experience. Information from a vested expert. Personal views of rare species. An education , an eye opener and refreshing to see the level of commitment people have to protecting their native wildlife.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Inspire17114785791
May 6, 2025
Local wildlife educational and interesting - Fascinating talk on life of the Kiwi with video and hands on models. You can get to see kiwis in a dark pen but not to handle them. A lot of the exhibitions was about the local lizards and there are also some interesting specimens. Not allowed to handle those either. Didn’t like the way that ‘evolution’ was portrayed as fact as well as the fanciful time periods and other spurious biological and scientific information that was stated as fact but actually is only theoretical.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $24
up to 8 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).