Butterfly Creek
Butterfly Creek
4
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
9:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
9:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Butterfly Creek has a unique collection of animals, insects and critters. It has brought the worlds most aggressive predator the Australian Crocodile to New Zealand (2 Giant Salt Water Crocodiles) Alligators, Tropical Aquaria, full Petting Zoo & established a breeding program for endangered Giant Wetapunga and has Australasia's premier Butterfly House with approximately 800 butterflies. We also have a fantastic Dinosaur Kingdom - a world of real life sized dinosaurs to glare at plus our Mythical Creatures exhibit where you can meet unicorns, fairies, mermaids and more! A fantastic family day out all year round with all weather undercover attractions & cafe. There is something for the whole family! Plus - complementary shuttle to & from the airport for those visiting the attractions - just arrive at the airport and visit the iSite information centre and ask them to call you a shuttle.
Suggested duration
2-3 hours
Features animals
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4.0
667 reviews
Excellent
283
Very good
228
Average
98
Poor
37
Terrible
21
Squirtle
New Plymouth, New Zealand12 contributions
Jun 2023 • Family
Fantastic little outing with my niece while in Auckland, definitely something for all ages,
Check out the experience time’s crocodile feeling a must
Check out the experience time’s crocodile feeling a must
Written 29 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Getaway10023472913
1 contribution
Apr 2023
I was very disappointed in the cafe food. $19.50 for overcooked burnt chips that went very crispy dry, dry fish that was mostly just batter,hardly got any fish inside. Lemon that would not squeeze, i was so hungry but i could not eat the chips.the food was not even worth $5.what a rip off..would not recommend at all.
Written 23 April 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for taking the time to leave a review. It is a shame to hear you did not enjoy your food – Our chef and kitchen team work hard to produce a range of freshly prepared food each day and we do receive a lot of great feedback about our food offering. We make very little profit from our food and the costs to buy our ingredients are continually increasing. If you had spoken with the team at the café at the time, they would have been more than happy to help.
Written 11 May 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Chris
10 contributions
Apr 2023 • Family
We visited today and were honestly shocked at the enclosure for the crocodiles. Habitat guys not enclosures!! Two crocodiles in a para pool is so 1980s and disgusting. This place needs to reinvest or close. Never going back.
Written 13 April 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for leaving a review. It may have been more productive, however, if you had raised your concerns at the time, we could have addressed them. Firstly both our big crocs came from croc farms where they inhabited spaces much smaller than the fantastic exhibits they enjoy at Butterfly Creek. At least one was to be euthanased and turned into a wall hanging. To bring them into NZ we had to design and construct exhibits that met the relevant zoo exhibit and Aus gvt animal welfare guidelines. Ours well exceeded those standards. There is also the misconception that crocs spend all day wandering / swimming around for the fun of it or for stimulation and exercise. That is not the case. They go into the water to catch a feed or cool down and then bask on the bank. And that’s about it. They don’t require a large area of land or water to meet their needs and hence the zoo guidelines. Animals have varying levels of needs and requirements. Some animals need intensive care and stimulation as well as the company of others and very large exhibit areas. Crocs are entirely different. They have certain basic needs which are met to a very high level here at Butterfly Creek
Written 11 May 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Jacqueline S
41 contributions
Jan 2023 • Friends
Spent about 2 hours here on a fairly overcast day. There’s plenty to keep young minds interested, we watched an enrichment feed session with the 4 otters. The Croc enclosures seem rather tiny and the actual croc looked rather plastic, even tho we saw one of them move it’s head and open it’s mouth there was still a feeling of not quite real for some reason. We did have an enjoyable time tho and stayed for lunch in your cafe.
Written 24 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
shepherdsheep
Edinburgh, UK7 contributions
Dec 2022 • Family
Super day out at Butterfly Creek. The dinosaurs were a great hit with our kids but we enjoyed being able to get so close to the animals in other parts of the centre. The butterfly room was beautiful with so many butterflies flying around.
Written 27 December 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stewarts Vacation
991 contributions
Oct 2022
It's surprising how different visits to the same place can be. On our previous visit (10 months ago), there were hardly any butterflies and the highlight of our day was the crocodile encounter. Scar really worked hard for food and did some spectacular "jumps". It was a memorable experience.
Yesterday, when we visited again, Scar was hardly interested in food and barely moved in the water which was disappointing, but provided a perfect opportunity to chat with the children about the crocodile not being a performer. However, there was an abundance of butterflies in the butterfly house! The meerkat enclosure was completed and opened for viewing. The train was a favourite activity, as well as the tractors in the Buttermilk Farm area! The children (4 and a half and 2 years) were delighted with the outing yet again. There is so much variety at Butterfly Creek - it is easy to spend the whole day there.
Be sure to check which of the daily animal encounters you are keen to see so that you can be at the venue in time to get a good viewing spot.
Yesterday, when we visited again, Scar was hardly interested in food and barely moved in the water which was disappointing, but provided a perfect opportunity to chat with the children about the crocodile not being a performer. However, there was an abundance of butterflies in the butterfly house! The meerkat enclosure was completed and opened for viewing. The train was a favourite activity, as well as the tractors in the Buttermilk Farm area! The children (4 and a half and 2 years) were delighted with the outing yet again. There is so much variety at Butterfly Creek - it is easy to spend the whole day there.
Be sure to check which of the daily animal encounters you are keen to see so that you can be at the venue in time to get a good viewing spot.
Written 28 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jan C
Grimsby, UK230 contributions
Oct 2022 • Family
Great place to visit, went prior to my flight home with family who live in NZ and have visited before.
Something of interest for all ages, particularly loved the butterfly House, Great setting.
Something of interest for all ages, particularly loved the butterfly House, Great setting.
Written 20 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sriwichick
Wellington, New Zealand25 contributions
Sep 2022 • Family
Such a cool place with so many different things and creatures to see! I hadn't read about it before we went so it was full of surprises! If you're reading these you probably know more of what to expect so this isn't a spoiler! Our little one (almost 2) loved seeing the butterflies flying around, the dimosaurs, mythical creatures, patting the bunny, the train ride and so much more. Took about 100 pics. The only things I would advise is to wear cool clothes (under layers if needed) and take water as the butterfly house is so hot. (OK my first sentence seems ironic now).
Written 17 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Liz W
Hamilton & Waikato Region, New Zealand44 contributions
Jun 2022
Butterfly creek is good value for money. There's not really many butterflies in winter, so probably best to go in spring before it gets crazy hot. There's lots of things to see there now. Crocs, otters, bigggg spiders, kiwis, farm animals, pet the bunnies and the dinosaurs are awesome too. You can also book to feed the otters!
Written 21 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Crazyfornewzealand
Palmerston North, New Zealand110 contributions
Jul 2022
My 8 year old enjoyed it, well worth checking out. Has a cafe and farm animals. Butterfly's were a bit vacant this visit but not unusual sometimes.
Written 25 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
huffam-family
Nelson, New Zealand266 contributions
Does anyone know who does the paintings that are for sale at this place?
I wanted to buy one but they wouldn’t send it through to Nelson.
Thanks
Jeanette Kirkman-Prain
Auckland Central, New Zealand69 contributions
I looked up the web, and got the 0800 number. It is 0800 132 101. If you contact them directly you will get an accurate answer to you question :)
mhdgh
Hertfordshire, UK94 contributions
Hi, I will be arriving in Auckland on a stop over and will have about 4 and half hours before my next flight. What would you recommend for us to do there please? I was thinking the farm animals and the train ride. Thank you.
siah28
Auckland15 contributions
Hi, you will be able to do all that within that 4 hour break. All you need really is 2 hours to circle the place, especially if you have kids so you can take your time enjoyin the site. Hope this helps and safe travels.
Hi
The very best time to view and maybe handle kiwi??? Thanks
Globe trotter
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates341 contributions
Night time, but check with website.
Peeeach
Auckland Central, New Zealand
I have booked the tickets online and received the email of my tickets. Do I need to print it out or I can just show the staff my email and get my tickets?
Butterfly Creek
Auckland Central, New Zealand
Hi there, yes you can show your phone over the counter.
Hope that helps.
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Claim your listingBUTTERFLY CREEK: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)
Frequently Asked Questions about Butterfly Creek
- Butterfly Creek is open:
- Wed - Fri 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM
- Sat - Sun 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
- Hotels near Butterfly Creek:
- (0.74 km) Ibis budget Auckland Airport
- (1.34 km) Novotel Auckland Airport Hotel
- (1.77 km) Heartland Hotel Auckland Airport
- (2.45 km) Jet Park Hotel, Auckland Airport
- (2.01 km) Sudima Auckland Airport Hotel
- Restaurants near Butterfly Creek:
- (0.24 km) Butterfly Creek Cafe
- (0.75 km) Szimpla Gastro Bar
- (0.66 km) Kawau Kitchen
- (0.54 km) Dunkin' Donuts
- (0.73 km) Jamaica Blue