Crate of tarantulas on the way

A crate of 107 tarantulas will land in New Zealand next week. Photo / NZ Herald.

A crate of 107 tarantulas will land in New Zealand next week.

The shipment has been sent from Wales to help zookeepers breed self-sustaining populations.

The spiders arrive in Wellington on Friday and will be distributed among seven zoos across the country.

Tarantula experts say they are harmless.

"It's not going to be anything like 'tarantulas on a plane'," Wellington Zoo's collections development manager, Simon Eyre, told Radio NZ.

"All the ones we're getting are pretty much harmless. The venom is much the same as a bee sting."

Mr Eyre said the spiders were sourced from Wales because of a reputable dealer there who could meet strict Ministry of Primary Industries requirements.

Tarantulas could grow to the size of a dinner plate, Mr Eyre said, but would never survive outside captivity because New Zealand was too cold. "We keep them in glass tanks here."