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Ask me before what animals I associated with Christchurch and I would have said ducks. Ordinary brown mallards cruising the Avon, squatting on the river bank, quacking as they flew overhead.
Ask me now and the answer would start with alpacas and end with zebras, by way of dolphins, lemurs, rhinos, eels, kea and even gorillas, amongst many, many more species.
Even better, most of these animals I encountered up close – and I mean, really close, like an arm’s length from a white rhino, a metre from a hungry lion, hand-to-tongue with a giraffe. And that was just at the first place I visited, Orana Wildlife Park.
Opened in 1976 with 28 animals, now there are over 1000 in Aotearoa’s only open-range zoo, meaning that the animals live in spacious enclosures as naturally as possible. While that could mean having distant views of some of them, the daily programme of free presentations by enthusiastic and knowledgeable keepers, mostly offering food, brings the animals in close.
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So it was that I discovered how firmly a giraffe’s purple tongue can wrap around a wattle sprig – and how enviably long and lush their eyelashes are. I watched enchanted as meerkats juggled boxes containing treats, envied the kākāriki their delicious-looking fruit salad, and was awed by the dexterity of the two hulking gorilla brothers as they picked up scattered corn kernels just the other side of the glass wall, and flicked through magazines, looking for smears of marmalade.
Six hours flashed by, as I wandered, admired and marvelled, finally leaving reluctantly but keen to return: for the exciting lion encounters that will be re-starting soon, and the 35 rhino that will be arriving in batches to quarantine en route to Australia.
Also only a short drive from Christchurch Airport is Willowbank Wildlife Reserve. Its smaller area is beautifully landscaped along a branch of the Styx River, and crammed with birds and animals. Originally a backyard zoo, the emphasis now is on conservation and education, but not just focused on the usual native and endemic species.
Other animals that have history in New Zealand are also represented here: in the Farmyard section are heritage species like genetically-unique Auckland Island pigs and Enderby Island rabbits, plus deer, pygmy sheep, zebu cattle, gypsy horses and many more. Housed in pens and paddocks dotted with attractive old farm buildings and equipment, they are well used to people and very aware that feed pellets are available to visitors at the entrance.
In the New Zealand section, the kea are equally unfazed by humans and, as I discovered in their walk-through aviary, not above a determined mugging or two. Feeding the wild eels was less dramatic, though memorably slithery; the kunekune pig was a dentist’s nightmare; and learning that scores of kiwi chicks are raised here for release into the wild was simply inspiring.
It’s hard though to beat the endearing cuteness of otters, lemurs and capybaras, and it was a real pleasure to see them up close in the Exotic section, thoroughly relaxed in their natural surroundings. Also lovely was the walk-through aviary here, where colourful birds preened and squabbled noisily in the branches or on nearby perches. The whole Willowbank experience was a sheer delight, in content, presentation, philosophy and accessibility.
Spending a morning bird-watching in the Ashley-Rakahuri Estuary with Steve Attwood of Auldwood Birds was, in contrast, a much more active experience. Truly wild birds are both wary and unpredictable so, setting out across the low-tide river flats, we felt the thrill of the hunt. Passing whitebaiters crouched motionless by their nets, we paddled bravely through the chilly shallow water to see what we could see.
There have been 115 species recorded here and, during four hours of exploring the braided river’s channels and stop bank, we totted up 24, from pūkeko and oystercatchers to kingfisher, royal spoonbill, Australian coot and three sorts of tern.
Carrying a camera with a lens so big that three separate passers-by stopped in amazement, Steve was full of information about everything we saw, and his enthusiasm was so infectious that I felt in real danger of becoming a proper twitcher.
Despite the temptation to take a detour to Birdlings Flat next morning to add a few more species to my tally, I held firm and carried on to Banks Peninsula to pretty little Akaroa. Here the bird/animal theme continued, with the up-close element a constant.
Steve’s huge lens would have been a handicap on my Akaroa Dolphins cruise to find the world’s smallest, and rarest, dolphin. Pottering out to the harbour heads past dramatic scenery full of fascinating history shared by skipper George Waghorn, we located several pods of Hector’s dolphins, some of which came to ride the bow-wave of our comfortably stable catamaran. Leaping and diving right below where we stood, their unique Mickey Mouse ear-shaped dorsal fins plain to see, they were just as cute as Albie, the onboard dolphin-spotting dog.
As well as sometimes seeing whales and orcas, the cruise may also encounter penguins, but for a guaranteed sighting, Pohatu Penguins is the way to go. Driven up over the crater rim by Kevin Parthonnaud, who fitted in nicely with Akaroa’s French vibe, we dropped down to Pōhatu/Flea Bay where Shireen and Francis Helps have played a huge part in rescuing and bolstering the population of white-flippered penguins.
Scattered around their farm are over 200 hand-built nesting boxes, hosting some of the around 1000 pairs on the property. Kevin gently opened the lids of three of them for us to see the sweet little penguins tucked inside. Out in the bay, a raft of about 20 birds floated, chilling out and being sociable before coming ashore. It’s an inspiring story, and we were all glad to be supporting the project.
Yet another enthusiastic animal-lover is Anya Walkington, whose Shamarra Alpacas farm, across the harbour from Akaroa, is home to 170 of these cute and cuddly animals. Gentle, laid-back and lovely, they are a real delight to meet, feed and pet, winning over even the most nervous visitor. They are also interesting to learn about during the hour-long tour – much better organised than humans, they only give birth in daytime – and the knitted goods made from their super-fine fleeces are very hard to resist.
So, if its animal encounters you’re after, don’t duck a visit to Christchurch. It will deliver, guaranteed.
Fact file:
Orana Wildlife Park is open daily, 10am to 5pm. Entrance fees are adult $36.50, child $9.50, concessions available. See: oranawildlifepark.co.nz
Willowbank Wildlife Reserve is open daily 9.30am to 5pm. Entrance fees are adult $32.50, child $12, concessions available. See: willowbank.co.nz
Auldwood Birds offers a range of personally-guided tours, including forest and mountains. Ashley-Rakahuri starts at adult $160, child $70. See: auldwoodbirds.kiwi
Akaroa Dolphins runs its two-hour Harbour Cruise daily, adult $99, child $50, infant $20 – includes refreshments and dolphin-sighting guarantee. See: akaroadolphins.co.nz
Pohatu Penguins offers a range of tours, including kayaking. The three-hour Evening Penguin Viewing tour runs daily, prices starting at $95 adult. See: pohatu.co.nz
Shamarra Alpacas are open daily, and the one-hour Alpaca Farm Tour, running three times a day, costs adult $50, child $25. See: shamarra-alpacas.co.nz
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