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Wellington, NZ – This weekend two of Wellington's top nature attractions are opening their doors to locals for just a couple of dollars! During Open Weekend, 18-19th May, people will be able to visit ZEALANDIA and Wellington Zoo for a $2 donation per person at each location.

The proceeds from the $2 donations will go towards ZEALANDIA’s conservation programme to bring nature back to the city and to Wellington Zoo’s Conservation Fund to support local and international field conservation projects that are saving animals in the wild.

“Open Weekend is when we open our doors and make ZEALANDIA accessible to everyone,” said ZEALANDIA Chief Executive Paul Atkins. “It’s always so exciting to see the smiles on people’s faces as they experience our native wildlife and learn more about how we are bringing it back to Wellington.”

“Open Weekend is a fantastic opportunity for our Wellington community to explore the Zoo, connect with animals and learn about how we can save wild animals and wild places,” says Karen Fifield MNZM, Wellington Zoo Chief Executive. “We strive to be accessible to our whole community and we are looking forward to welcoming many families through our doors this weekend.”

2019 is the fifth year that the event will be held over two days instead of one. This provides more opportunity for families to visit both iconic nature attractions over the weekend.

Visitors can get the most out of their trip to Wellington Zoo by planning their day around the animal talks – a great way to get up close to animals like endangered Red Pandas, Tigers, Kororā Little Blue Penguins and to learn more about these amazing animals. Visitors may get to see Sunny the giraffe, Wellington Zoo’s newest arrival in the African Savannah.

Mojo Café and The Grazing Post will both be open at Wellington Zoo for visitors to enjoy a delicious lunch, Mojo coffee or a snack. There will be an additional Mojo coffee cart within the Zoo.

At ZEALANDIA, visitors can explore Wellington’s 225ha wildlife sanctuary, see New Zealand’s unique native wildlife and learn about the conservation efforts being made to protect our flora and fauna. Visitors may be able to see the takahē family, including the six-month old chick, and the recently re-introduced tītipounamu (rifleman).
The award-winning Rātā Cafe will also be open, and there will be a sausage sizzle.

ENDS

DETAILS:

Where:
WELLINGTON ZOO, 200 Daniell Street, Newtown, Wellington
ZEALANDIA, 53 Waiapu Road, Karori, Wellington

Dates:
Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 May 2019

Hours:
9am – 5pm

Last Entry:
ZEALANDIA: 4pm
WELLINGTON ZOO: 4.15pm

Entry:
$2 donation for entry per person (please bring appropriate change).

Getting there:
Please consider using public transport as we expect both venues to be very busy and car parking to be limited. For your best public transport option see www.metlink.org.nz

ZEALANDIA
We suggest using public transport, but if you drive there is some free parking available at ZEALANDIA and surrounding streets. Please keep clear of our neighbour's entranceways. The free ZEALANDIA shuttle will also be operating from the top of the Cable Car, Kelburn.

WELLINGTON ZOO
We are expecting more visitors than a normal weekend so please think about using public transport to the Zoo. There’ll be extra buses to the Zoo from the Wellington Railway Station to help you get here faster. We have limited car parks so buses are the best option, and they drop you off right at the door to the Zoo.
Visit Metlink for bus routes and timetables.
Scooters, rollerblades and skateboards are not permitted in the Zoo; please leave them at home as we do not have the space to store these during your visit.

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