West Coast Wildlife Centre

Visit the West Coast Wildlife Centre in Franz Josef, the largest kiwi incubation and hatching facility on the South Island. Explore the indoor visitor attraction and see the rarest of the five kiwi species and book your VIP fully guided tour. Discover the public/private partnership with The Department of Conservation. Learn about the facility's owner, Richard Benton, a conservationist who purchased a large modern building in Franz Josef to create an all-weather visitor attraction with an indoor Tuatara, kiwi incubation, and hatching facility. Set aside 40 minutes for your guided tour and up to 2 hours for a visit. Encounter the world-class Tuatara encounter and see the well-stocked retail shop. Enjoy the best barista made coffee in Franz Josef.

Visit the West Coast Wildlife Centre in Franz Josef to see live kiwi and tuatara and learn more about the fantastic glaciers based here. Enjoy stories around the incredible wildlife found in this UNESCO region. As a public/private partnership with The Department of Conservation, it boasts the largest kiwi incubation and hatching facility on the South Island. Book a personally guided VIP Backstage Pass Tour to go behind the scenes to enjoy the hatching and incubation programs. Enjoy the best coffee in Franz Josef and a bustling and well-stocked gift shop. Open from 8 am daily, including most public holidays.

Explore South Westland with Explore West Coast will pick you up from your accommodation and you will head off South. First stopping in at Ross Goldfields then down to Franz Josef. On the way back call into Okarito for photos and history of the area. Ross Goldfields Ross Goldfields Information & Heritage Centre is located at the southern end of Aylmer Street and is the one-stop spot for gold mining history and regional information. The centre boasts a small museum where a replica of NZ’s largest gold nugget The Hon Roddy resides. This was uncovered at Ross in 1909. Award-winning DVD “Ross Gold Town” which plays continuously, numerous models, artifacts, photographs and old newspaper articles. There are also countless research documents available that relate to Ross’ extensive past, including mining and cemetery records. Franz Josef Glacier Walk Walk up to the Glacier terminal face along a marked track following the river bed for those photo opportunities. The track is 30 min return, this can be subject to change due to access restrictions. Wildlife Centre Visit the Wildlife Centre home to our native bird, the Rowi Kiwi. An all weather indoor attraction where you can view the rarest Kiwi bird and the Tuatara (a native reptile that once shared the earth with dinosaurs). Spectacular glacier exhibit, interactive displays with West Coast movie viewing and story telling. New Zealand souvenirs gift shop and cafe onsite. This is where you stop for lunch voucher provided. Helicopter Flight (optional) Add on a helicopter scenic 20 minute flight (additional cost applies) that will take you up the Glacier before you then land on top of the Glacier for a spectacular photo opportunity. Okarito Okarito the gem of South Westland. On your way back stop in at Okarito for photos, Ōkārito is a small coastal settlement on the West Coast of New Zealand’s South Island, 127 kilometres southwest of Hokitika, and 10 kilometers from State Highway 6. It is built at the southern end of the Ōkārito Lagoon at the mouth of the Ōkārito River. PLEASE NOTE: It is important that you contact us first before booking if only one person as the tour requires two people for it to operate and we may not have a second person booked on at the time of your booking which would incur an additional per person fee. Please contact us directly to ensure tour is proceeding for the date you have chosen if a single person.