Staglands Wildlife Reserve Entry Ticket

First time we visited as a family of small children. A very magical experience, complete with natural features and happy animals. The little pigs were very cute as they sniffed us out for scraps. We had a small pram with us, which wasn't too much of a hassle. We bought our own lunch and our 4 year old loved the tractor ride. Very short ride I will say, but for preschooler's, good fun. Got some beautiful photos of my daughter in the surrounds, especially in the trout pond area. Only bathroom though is right in the carpark, so go in before you pay or run the risk of literally walking back to the beginning. What a drive out there though! I know it's not part of Staglands, but my goodness, what a road....!

This is the most beautiful slice of paradise. Our favourite place on earth. It is one of a kind. An absolute treasure. Pure magic. Whole the Akatarawa road requires considerable care while driving, Staglands is worth it. Just allow for extra time to drive carefully. There is plenty of fantastic parking options when you arrive. And great facilities. They are renovating the cafe at the moment but the toilets are still functional and always clean. And they have a tea and water station provided. You will want at least 2-3 bags of animal pellets of you want to cover the whole park on one visit and you have a child. Also the trout food is very well worth purchasing. Our top favourites: patting the friendliest happiest free roaming piglets; feeding the gentle geese (they are NOT agressive); saying hello (not feeding) Jock the beautiful Clydesdale and his mate Ted; chatting to the kea; sitting with the Guinea pigs and rabbits and feeding them (they are in the stall next to the horses, and if you sit still long enough the Guinea pigs are very curious); seeing what is incubating under the lamps next to the Guinea pigs; feeding the enormous trout; saying hello to Rocky the cockatoo in the aviary; saying hello to the calf in the pen by the old town and their pig friends; admiring the church; a ride in the mining cart; counting the turtles on the pond; feeding and patting goats; sheep and emus in the deer park; feeding giant rabbits in the secret garden. It is magic.

Perfect location for my daughter’s 8th birthday party. The package included food and plates etc, and there was lots of room for the kids to run around. They loved feeding the animals.

Take a jacket and enjoy nature with outdoor dining whilst watching builders. It’s fun to see the kea being so cheeky and the little piglets are cute. Shona’s customer service is 10/10.

Beautiful walk in nature even though it was raining. Lovely activity to do with kids. Saw wildlife and animals. Went on a tractor ride. Well worth the visit.

wondefull place for kids and adaults, animals are well treated. must do if you are in wellington. The place is well maintened and suits for kids of all ages.

Connecting with Nature. Been visiting Staglands since i was young and single and now a Grandma and still loving the place. Recommend you plan for a whole day because once around the circuit is just not enough.

We have been there more than 10 times over the last 3 years, every time we bring our friends or families. this place is wonderful and to exciting. Staff are so friendly and I would say they are working really hard to maintain this place as a natural habitat for the animals. Thanks from our heart to the team. Every time when I ask my son where does he want to go, he says “Staglands”,

We have an annual pass and go quite often. It never gets boring. It's great to get out as a family be active and enjoy the animals and just wind down from busy every day life. We love Staglands.

This is an awesome little place, lots of animals and beautiful bush, river etc. Good in the winter would be even better in the summer when it would be nice to picnic and perhaps swim in the river.

Staglands is very unique in a beautiful tranquil setting - its great for all ages and especially those who love animals It has a rustic and historic charm, its beautifully kept and one of NZs treasures. Our family love it and have visited many times. Was lovely in July to relax by the fire while having lunch - we also loved the tractor ride - will be back again.

Visited last year in spring & this year it was on the must do again list for our three boys (10,8,3). As it was a winter visit this year (so no cute baby animals) and even on a drizzly day, the kids thoroughly enjoyed exploring the enclosures & feeding various animals, the tractor ride, the river crossings & the toasted marshmallows. We also loved the complementary EV charging station! Thank you

So enjoyed toasting marshmallows and counting the jar of them, plus meeting some real animal characters donkey, goat and sheep also seeing new born goat

We love feeding the ducks, the salmon and the farm animals. We also love to interact with the birds specially with the Cockatoo. They are very friendly. My daughter enjoys petting other animals like the bunny.

We loved our trip to Staglands. We had no idea what to expect. We loved how close we could get to the animals. The kids (baby goats) jumped up on my husband's knees and climbed on his back. We saw so many animals. The peacocks were spectacular, especially as they had their tails extended to attract the peahens. The river and the ponds are beautiful, and the bush has all grown back from when the land was cleared to develop the park. It looks so lush and green. It was cold the day we went but we had hot drinks and food before and after our time outside. I took masses of great photos. The staff were friendly and helpful. I would definitely go there again. Great for kids (human ones and goat ones).

Great experience for the Grand kids especially all the baby animals to see and touch. ( gently) . We are going back again for sure !

The park is good for young kids, a place to see farm animals and wildlife. It's not very interesting for adults, just a gentle walk with not much information or anything to hold interest, but worth it to keep younger kids entertained for a couple of hours plus the drive. Don't go if it's been raining the day or two before, or at least wear gumboots and put a bag in the boot to get them home. The cafe is pretty good too. The burgers were very nice, a bit tall to be practical to eat, but really tasty especially the halloumi burger. The chips are very good too, crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle, but you have to buy them separately. Cakes are good, but need to be warmed before being served.

Had an amazing day in the park with all the animals. Afterwards we went to the cafe, when entering we were told to sit down and wait to be table served. We we're waiting for 15 minutes, then asked a waitress for service, she told us to sit back down and wait for service. So we waited another 15 minutes with no service, after which we just left. (note cafe was pretty quiet at this time). Would recommend the park to anyone, but our overall experience was ruined by the staff in the cafe.

Well organized wildlife reserve, with animals happy and healthy. Be careful in the deer area, some of the animals can be a bit agressive when they see food bags. If you don’t like this, keep the food bag hidden of they will sniff it out! There are plenty of signs to warn you. Great place for kids, with several things to see other than just animals. Worth a stop at the small onsite cafe. Well priced, good food, and great staff.

Excellent value for money great food and coffee and they are constantly disinfecting surfaces. Well done to all the staff at Staglands

We had the most amazing day at Staglands. It is an awesome reserve, very well maintained and vibrant. It is a great way to spend at least half a day walking through animal enclosures. Many birds, particularly the peacocks are free to wander and seem to make the most of it. We enjoyed the tractor trailer ride, picnic by the lazy river, ponds with trout, turtles, swans and ducks, and the relics from the past. The cafe served us an excellent mocha and tea.

Right in with the animals and birds. Gentle stroll through the woodland. Swaying bridge logs over the river. Land Rover, train and push along carriage to go on.

Hire a car while in Wellington to come to this and enjoyed our wander around looking at the animals, very peaceful environment. The very narrow road was scary in parts.

Compact area (not much walking) filled with a variety of farm animals and smattering of native birds etc. It impressed the kids (4 and 1) and was an enjoyable afternoon outing. The access road is windy with a few blindspots, be prepared to take it easy and you'll be fine.

Loved the visit, but be prepared for a long drive along a winding narrow road. Been there with small kids and they loved it

I have been to Staglands twice now, growing up in Upper Hutt i always wanted to go but never got to so as and adult I was very excited to finally go! We have taken my step daughter there twice and she always really enjoys it as well as us adults. We have been in winter and summer and both are good times to go, it was very busy in summer and the animals weren't to keen on eating as they had had a lot of people through by the time we got there, but in winter there weren't as many people so it was great! Highly recommend if you love animals and want a nice day out with the Family or friends.

Got an annual membership and have been a few times now. The kids always enjoy it, have to say coming at Spring time with all the baby animals around is the best time to visit. Tried their chips for the first time with the aioli and though they're not the cheapest you can buy they definitely are worth it.

We took our daughter and friends for her birthday to staglands and wow, we were blown away. This beats any zoo we've ever been to. The kids and adults had so much fun! Such a beautiful area to walk around, that is pram friendly and suits all walking levels (the toddlers loved it). The kids loved being able to pat the animals and spot animals and birds that they'd never even seen before. Such a great family day out. We'll definitely be back soon!

There is so much to see and do here we took a 2 year old and he loved it. Great animals and you can get up close to them, they are very friendly. The tractor ride is good too.