Zoo exhibit puts NZ's diversity on show

A spotted shag takes to the air in ‘the coast’, one of the six environments of Te Wao Nui at Auckland Zoo. Photo / Paul Estcourt

The public will soon be able to experience six diverse environments - from the high country to the coast - at Auckland Zoo.

Te Wao Nui - which roughly translates as the big forest - stretches over a quarter of the zoo's 17ha land space and cost $16 million to create. It is made up of six New Zealand habitat spaces: the coast, the islands, the wetlands, the night, the forest and the high country.

Journalists were yesterday given a tour of the project, which will open to the public on September 11.

A fake whale skeleton acts as the entrance point to Te Wao Nui and people will walk through a rib cage before entering the first part: the coast.

Up to 10 little blue penguins live here, alongside spotted shag.

Sealions, one of which weighs 170kg, jump in and out of the water.

The islands sanctuary is home to tuatara from Cook Strait, parakeets from the Antipodes Islands, skinks and jewelled geckos.

Lights twinkle above as people walk through the night enclosure, home to nocturnal birds such as the kiwi and the morepork.

There are also bats, giant weta and tanks with whitebait and crayfish.

The forest is home to the North Island kaka, the kereru, yellow-crowned parakeet, the red-crowned parakeet and the tui.

Birds including kea and whio, as well as the Otago skink and rough gecko, live in the high country sanctuary, which is in the coldest part of the zoo.

A waterfall and a fast-flowing stream feature here, as well as a country hut with reptiles inside two tanks.

The last habitat space, the wetlands, shows off some of New Zealand's marine life in a swamp surrounded by grassy plants and bordered by huge kauri stumps.

Zoo director Jonathan Wilcken said Te Wao Nui was not only about showing off some of New Zealand's unique habitats, but also about getting people to realise what they could do to keep clean environments for all types of animals.

"As a zoo, what we are really about here is caring for and conserving wildlife," Mr Wilcken said.

"It means building a future for wildlife in general."

TE WAO NUI

* Six different habitats.
* Takes up a quarter of the zoo's 17ha land space.
* 60 different animal species.
* Cost $16 million.
* Open to the public on September 11.