Destination Highlight: Willowbank Wildlife and Kotane Maori Experience

Willowbank Wildlife Reserve tells the story of New Zealand wildlife. Blessed with some of the world’s most unique wildlife, your Willowbank experience will allow you to enjoy seeing and learning about these fascinating creatures firsthand. You'll be able to free walk through the park to enjoy getting up close and personal with its inhabitants in a natural riverside setting. Then enjoy a guided tour with one of Willowbank's expert guides to discover the interesting story of our native wildlife, including the country’s largest kiwi viewing exhibit. Lunch at the Wildlife Reserve will nourish you before traveling to the central city, where you and your fellow team members will learn to paddle a traditional Maori canoe (waka) up and down the city's picturesque Avon / Otakaro river. You'll be welcomed in the warmest of Maori traditional, before learning some of the key techniques, chants, and phrases you'll need to be able to paddle the waka. Then experience the city from the unique perspective the river offers while navigating the historic vessel just as the early Maori had while learning some of the history that helped shape our city. To absorb more of our story, you'll then be taken on a guided tour of key inner-city locations to understand Maori and European heritage and the history and the events that shaped this more fully into one the world’s best little cities to visit and live in.