Come to Murchison for whitewater thrills – rafting, kayaking, canoeing and jet boating. There are fast running rivers in every direction. Murchison is known as the ‘whitewater capital’ of the country, because there are rivers everywhere – the Gowan, Mangles, Matiri, Glenroy, Matakitaki, Maruia and the mighty Buller. For anybody into canoeing or kayaking, it’s a dream come true with the region offering some of the best all-grades options in New Zealand. https://www.newzealand.com/au/murchison/

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

Over 26 hectares of unsurpassed views, unique landscape, exotic forests, native bush, colourful floral displays and gorgeous specialist gardens.Visit the Duck Pond, Begonia House, award-winning Lady Norwood Rose Garden, Treehouse Visitor Information Centre, Sundial of Human Involvement, Children's Play Area and the historic Bolton Street Memorial Park, where many of the city's pioneers are buried. https://www.wellingtonnz.com/discover/sights-activities/wellington-botanic-garden/

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