Hamilton Zoo is home to over 600 native and exotic animals and boasts the only tapirs in New Zealand, the only fishing cats and the largest free-flight aviary in New Zealand dedicated to native birds and plants. See exotic species like giraffes, zebras, chimpanzees, red pandas, lemurs and Sumatran tigers as well as farm animals like kune kune pigs and alpacas. Get to know some animals during free daily Meet the Keeper talks. For a special experience, go behind the scenes on a Face2Face encounter and meet a southern white rhinos, siamang gibbons, giraffe, red pandas, or lemurs. Every visit is different, with breeding and baby animals at any time of the year. Hamilton Zoo is committed to inspiring conservation action through participation in various projects and contributing to breeding programmes for endangered species like southern white rhino, once there were only 100 left in the world, now there are more than 20,000. http://www.visithamilton.co.nz/see-and-do/attractions/hamilton-zoo

Close encounters of the ‘wildlife kind’ are a Willowbank trademark. Meet New Zealand’s Big 5 with the Kiwi, the cheeky Kea, the ancient Tuatara, our bush parrot the Kaka and the very rare Takahe. Feed the wild eels and make friends with the livestock breeds unique to New Zealand. http://www.christchurchnz.com/what-to-see-and-do/listings/willowbank-wildlife-reserve

Pick up fresh local and organic produce at the Matakana Farmers’ Market on Saturdays. Browse the art and craft galleries and find everything from paintings by local artists to the renowned Morris & James Pottery.Visit some of the beautiful white-sand beaches along Matakana’s stunning coastline. https://www.aucklandnz.com/visit/destinations/auckland-north/matakana-coast