Tuatara
Meet New Zealand's oldest living reptile – a true survivor from the age before the dinosaurs.
Open daily 9am–5pm · No booking needed
Quick tuatara facts
Older than dinosaurs
Their family line goes back over 200 million years.
Only in New Zealand
Tuatara are found nowhere else in the world.
Not a lizard
They're New Zealand's largest reptile – but they're not actually a lizard.
Like it cool
Unlike most reptiles, tuatara prefer cooler weather.
Spiky show-offs
Males raise the spines on their back to impress females and warn off other males.
Double teeth
Two rows of teeth on top and one below – perfect for crunching hard beetles.
What's on the menu?
Beetles, spiders, millipedes and worms – and sometimes lizards, seabird eggs and even small chicks.
Adults hunt at night, so young tuatara hunt during the day to avoid being eaten by the grown-ups!
Did you know? The first wild tuatara to breed on a mainland sanctuary was recorded in 2008.
Come and meet them
Open daily 9am–5pm · No booking needed
Prices & Opening Hours