Hamilton Zoo houses 500-plus species including wily and curious chimpanzees. Guided-tour options include Face2Face opportunities to go behind the scenes to meet various animals, plus daily Meet the Keeper talks (free) from the critters’ caregivers. The zoo is 8km northwest of Hamilton city centre.
Hamilton Zoo
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
3.95 MILES
The excellent Waikato Museum has several main areas: an art gallery; interactive science galleries; a Waikato River exhibition; and Tainui galleries…
5.14 MILES
Spread over 50 hectares southeast of the city centre, Hamilton Gardens incorporates a large park, a cafe, a restaurant, and extravagant themed and…
17.37 MILES
Te Awamutu Museum has a superb collection of Māori taonga (treasures) and an excellent display on the Waikato War. The highlight is the revered Te Uenuku …
Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari
27.02 MILES
A community trust has erected 47km of pest-proof fencing around the triple peaks of Maungatautari (797m) to create the impressive Sanctuary Mountain…
26.01 MILES
Due to copyright, all the movie sets around NZ were dismantled after the filming of The Lord of the Rings, but Hobbiton’s owners negotiated to keep their…
3.99 MILES
Bush-covered walkways run along both sides of the river and provide the city’s green belt. Jogging paths continue to the boardwalk circling Lake Rotoroa,…
3.85 MILES
One of Hamilton’s more unusual public artworks is a life-sized statue of Rocky Horror Picture Show writer Richard O’Brien, aka Riff Raff, the time-warping…
Otorohanga Kiwi House & Native Bird Park
27.96 MILES
This bird barn has a nocturnal enclosure where you can see active kiwi energetically digging with their long beaks, searching for food. This is one of the…
Nearby attractions
2.12 MILES
Travel back through time amid this collection of more than 100 classic cars from the first half of the 20th century. Even if you’re not a motorhead, you…
3.78 MILES
Explore this laneway with good restaurants and cafes and interesting shopping. To the right of the lane, a recently developed outdoor area has good views…
3.85 MILES
One of Hamilton’s more unusual public artworks is a life-sized statue of Rocky Horror Picture Show writer Richard O’Brien, aka Riff Raff, the time-warping…
3.91 MILES
This contemporary gallery and gift shop is housed in a grand former post office. It focuses on the best of local art: paintings, glass, prints, textiles…
3.95 MILES
The excellent Waikato Museum has several main areas: an art gallery; interactive science galleries; a Waikato River exhibition; and Tainui galleries…
3.99 MILES
Bush-covered walkways run along both sides of the river and provide the city’s green belt. Jogging paths continue to the boardwalk circling Lake Rotoroa,…
5.14 MILES
Spread over 50 hectares southeast of the city centre, Hamilton Gardens incorporates a large park, a cafe, a restaurant, and extravagant themed and…
6.4 MILES
Interesting tours learning about the only tea plantation in NZ, located around 10km northeast of Hamilton. Delicious high-tea experiences offering tea…