Animal Encounters
Our free daily animal encounters provide an enriching, educational and exciting element to your day. You’ll be able to either get up close with one of our reptiles or tarantulas or watch our keepers feeding our otters, tamarins, meerkats and eels!
Be sure to come along to our Croc Show to watch New Zealand’s only saltwater crocodiles being fed at 1pm – it’s an encounter not to be missed!
We also offer paid, private animal encounters for a more up close and personal experience with our otters, tamarins, small reptiles or meerkats. These encounters are perfect for animal lovers and make great gifts for a friend or family member.
Free Daily Animal Encounters
We offer 9 free daily animal encounters throughout the day, giving you plenty of opportunities to get up close and learn more about our incredible animals.
Start your day at 10:00am in the Tropical Butterfly House, where you can witness newly hatched butterflies being released into their beautiful new habitat.
At 11:00am, join our Kiwi Talk to discover more about one of New Zealand’s most iconic native species and then head along to watch our playful otters and tamarins at feeding time.
Our popular 1:00pm Crocodile Show is a must-see! Learn about the fascinating features of saltwater crocodiles and watch one of our giant crocs, Scar or Goldie, enjoy their lunch.
At 1:30pm, don’t miss our Eel Encounter, where you’ll learn more about these remarkable native creatures, then at 2:00pm, get up close during our Tarantula Encounter.
Plus, keep an eye out for additional keeper feeds around the park — including alligators and lace monitors — which take place on selected days throughout the week.
| Encounter | Where | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Butterfly Encounter | Butterfly House | 10:00am |
| Kiwi Talk | Kiwi House | 11:00am |
| Otter Encounter | Otter Enclosure | 11:30am |
| Tamarin Encounter | Cotton-top Tamarin Enclosure | 12:00pm |
| Crocodile Encounter | Giant Crocs | 1:00pm |
| Eel Encounter | Wetland Platform | 1:30pm |
| Tarantula Encounter | Butterfly House | 2:00pm |
| Meerkat Encounter | Meerkat Enclosure | 2:30pm |
| Small Reptile Encounter | Butterfly House | 3:00pm |
Private Animal Encounters
Love animals and want to get up close and personal with them? Go behind the scenes and hang out with our otters, tamarin monkeys, meerkats or small reptiles in a unique and intimate experience.
You will be guided around their enclosure alongside one of our keepers and get to feed the animals. Our Private Animal Encounters start from $90.00 per person, and include entry to the park – check them out below!
Come behind the scenes and meet our cheeky family of Asian small-clawed otters – our three mischievous siblings – Mai, Charvi and Kiri. You will have the chance to feed the otters and learn about their unique characteristics.
Come behind the scenes and meet our adorable and inquisitive meerkats. You will get a behind-the-scenes tour of their enclosure, will learn about their behaviors, feed them, and provide them with some fun enrichment!
Come and hang out with our family of Emperor Tamarins, and get to see them up close. Feed them some of their favourite snacks and don’t forget your camera – they have been known to climb onto visitors shoulder looking for treats!
Go behind the scenes and get up close with some of Butterfly Creek’s incredible reptiles. Learn fascinating facts from our expert keepers, enjoy interacting with these awesome creatures and capture the moment with an unforgettable photo opportunity.