A good experience to animals lovers and children. Although not big but well managed and the claimed animals, birds are healthy and can be found. Ducks, geese and chickens are running everywhere together with the visitors. Never thought eels can be fed and patted, lol. A not bad entertainment for family with kids indeed.

This place never disappoints, each time we go there is something new. This is the best time to visit as there are lots of baby animals - it’s not just for children who of course love it and get to feed the various creatures but also a truly magical place for their parents & other adults. This time we were lucky to see baby capybara, piglets, baby gibbon & capuchin monkeys as well as plenty of ducklings (some of which even follow you along the pathways) Another special moment was actually seeing two kiwi in their dark enclosure - on previous occasions we have only heard them. The hard work & dedication of the people lucky enough to work here is supported by every paying visitor; helping them in the conservation of rare & endangered species. It’s just great fun 🤩

They have three exhibit areas. International, farm, and native New Zealand. I always enjoy the monkies. There are loads of birds in all the areas. The native birds are interesting. Many have that rounded or thicker body like the kiwi. There are live kiwis, but it’s so dark in the exhibit, good luck finding one. We did, but it was really a lump in the darkness. Lol. Very much worth the price of admission, and they have an excellent gift shop.

We spent several hours walking on the wooden and dirt paths slowly throughout the park. What a delight it was! There are birds everywhere. And not just sparrows. There are attractive and easy to read signs all over the place detailing the unique animal species that are located at Willowbank. There are pond areas and water areas everywhere. It was a delight to see the children feeding the eels as soon as you walk into the park after paying admission. We caught the latter part of the magic show and loved it. There is a small little-used lunch area with picnic tables behind the magic show, and adjoining the toilets. A great place for families. Easy to walk. Children love the smaller and larger animals, Especially the birds that are often roaming freely. You can purchase a bag of small food to feed the birds and also a different bag of larger food pellets to feed the larger animals such as the deer. Make sure to purchase these small white bags when you buy your admission as they are not available elsewhere in the park. And, yes, we were able to spot two kiwis in the darkened kiwi shelter. It was magical. Thank you, Willowbank, for a delightful day. Please give me a link if you find this review helpful. You can also look for reviews that I have written for Christchurch, Auckland and Wellington as well as Brisbane.