Reviews

I had a really great time! I was SO EXCITED TO PET THE EELS. Truly the most lovely and beautiful elderly ladies I've ever met. The facility is clean and they kindly set up walkway lights for the kiwi area. Oh my god the kiwi are the most special creatures. Loved this place!!

Growing up as a dinosaur/reptile kid, I've *always* loved tuatara and never imagined I'd actually see one up close. These guys are awesome. Loved all of the animals and appreciated the room kept dark for the kiwi, showing the staff's care for their wellbeing.

This would be by far the best place I have been to to view a Kiwi. An added bonus is being able to feed and pat the longfin eels, this was done at 12.00pm when we went. They also have a catch and release pool with fresh water crayfish (great for kids). We also had our best view of Tuatara while we were there.

We had a lovely time at the National Kiwi Centre and Aquarium in Hokitika. Everyone was super friendly, reasonable price for a family and got to feed eels and see some kiwis. Gift shop was also lovely. The kids (10 and 14) had a wonderful time exploring and seeing all the fish and we even caught and released yabbies. Thank you to all the staff.

We had such a great time at the National Kiwi Centre! It was the only place where we were able to get really up close to two male kiwis, and we were lucky enough to see them show off their masculinity with a little standoff — such a rare and fascinating sight. We also loved the hands-on experience of fishing for native freshwater koura. You can’t take them home, but it was awesome to see them alive and learn more about them. Overall, it’s a fantastic spot to visit, especially when the weather isn’t great outside. The hosts were also friendly and welcoming.

Lauren and Darren were both very warm and welcoming on our arrival, super helpful and easy to chat to! We came to see the kiwi and feed the eels! The lady hosting the feeding (forgot to get her name) was super informative and lovely at her job, she answered whatever question we had. Overall amazing experience we will be remembering the people and time we spent here.

This was a return visit as we visited 7 years ago and loved our first experience. It was great to see the centre still going strong and in our opinion this is the best Kiwi experience in NZ. Hand feeding the eels was excellent fun!!!

This is an excellent interactive Centre to visit. It has several species of fish as well as Tuataras, kiwis and glow worms which are very easy to see. Visitors love feeding the eels and catching the crawlies. The turtles are also very cute. I highly recommend it to others.

Was warmly greated and brief by Darren. He was very knowledgeable! Exterior the place look very small, but it wasn't at all. The kids had a blast time learn about kiwi and the other animals there. No photos were allows in the kiwi area but we definitelt got to see them. Darren shared with us about these kiwi gender. Will not be a spoiler, be there to ask him!!!!. There was engaging animal interaction, from catching crawlies and feeding the eels. Event our infant had a small area where he could play and have some fun. Highly recommend!!!

We had a wonderful time here with our family. There was a great deal to see. We thoroughly enjoyed observing the kiwis, tuataras, and particularly the giant eels. The experience of feeding the giant eels was truly remarkable. It was also quite captivating to watch the kiwi birds move about. Afterwards, we ventured outside to attempt catching some yabbies. We will certainly plan to return again on our next visit to town.

It was amazing in a small town, the fishing for little crayfish was awesome caught 3 of them, the kiwi’s were so active and can’t compare to other kiwis I have seen in enclosures in NZ. The eels were massive and on another level with there being so many as well as the faint trout I have never seen some so large. Overall a pretty amazing place!!

Very educative. the centre itself is not big and quite old. However, you could easily see Kiwi there! You would love it! They are bigger than I thought. One of the kiwi started running about and crying when it was raining heavily, the sound of the pouring rain shocked the kiwi. We were surprised by its shrill 😂 pity kiwi. Before we went out from the centre, we decided to pay kiwi the last visit, and it slept soundly. I learn alot about kiwi and other animals. Perfect to pay a visit in a rainy day in town.

There is no more than the kiwis and all the introductions are so interested. We saw both of the kiwis and they are more cute than I imagined! Plus, feeding eels that needs courage was an amazing experience! The staff are so nice and patient. It was a wonderful day.

Stumbled upon this place after getting lunch in Hokitika. We were able to see a lot of cool different animals like large eel, axolotl and of course the famous kiwi! They have two kiwis you can see and they are very cute. Was definitely an unforgettable experience seeing them so up close.

We had a great experience and time at the centre. It was fascinating seeing the couple of Kiwi birds in their enclosure. Watching eels feed was great too.