Orana Wildlife Park, Christchurch

Amazing place!!! We had so much fun!! We did the lion experience which is a must as you get to see how big they really are!! We also got to feed the giraffes, rhinos and watch the cheetahs get fed. The weather wasn’t great, but we still had an incredible day. We also managed to catch a glimpse of a kiwi at feeding time. The animals look well taken care of which is good. This is a definite must to visit. It is out of the way so you may feel like you are going the wrong way.

Fabulous day - the feeding times are great as you can get quite up close to the animals. They are well looked after and the staff are all friendly and knowledgeable. Food was reasonably priced and well cooked. The park is extremely large, and although initially it looks overgrown, in places, I liked it as it gave the place character. Wear good walking shoes. We did the lion experience and it was just amazing! Very highly recommended! As it is run 100% as a charitable trust, their breeding programme and what they want to achieve is a credit to them. I will be going back!

We had a really nice afternoon there. Some of the enclosures are unused and look a bit rundown, but there were plenty of other animals and the gorilla enclosure is amazing. Taking one of the free little coach tours around the park is definitely recommended while there. The staff are knowledgeable and very friendly.

There's something special about this Park. The workers & volunteers seem to genuinely care and enjoy the work they do, it shows and adds to the warm feel this park has. We really enjoyed the gorilla enclosure and the shuttle was a great option of getting around the Park. I wouldn't bother paying to get a close-up of the lions, as you get as good a view from outside the enclosure.

The animals seemed well taken care of (which is very important to us), there was a good variety of native and foreign animal species. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable, the food was great and prepared in a reasonable amount of time. The only bad thing I have to say about our visit there was that the groundskeeping was quite awful. Pathways overgrown, the occasional tripping hazard across the path, and a lot of the landscaping seemed to be... Dead. It Almost made the experience feel cheap (in a bad way) just because of the maintenance. But if you're looking for a fun day with the kids, a date, or just taking a look for yourself, this is definitely a fun place to visit.