1 / 3Neil's Eels
📍 Westport, West Coast
Best for a fifteen-minute stop that kids talk about for days. A creek beside Garveys Road near Westport where dozens of wild longfin eels rise to the bank to take meat from visitors. Free, unstaffed, bring your own eel food.
best experience EVER as a zoology gal from the uk I couldn’t wait to meet some nz eels. Pull up on the side of the road here and you’ll see some straight away, start chucking food in and they all come out. Saw at least 20! Was feeding them frozen shrimp and they loved it. Gave a few of them some pats, 10/10 best thing to do in the area 😂
🏆 Family Action Verdict
One of the Coast's great free surprises, and ideal for a child who has never been nose to nose with a wild animal. Buy a pack of dog roll or chopped meat in Westport first, hold food flat in the palm or drop it near the eels rather than dangling fingers, and keep toddlers back from the wet bank. Fifteen minutes is plenty.
ℹ️ What to Know Before You Go
💬 What Families Are Saying
View all reviews →49 Google reviews
ailsa
“best experience EVER as a zoology gal from the uk I couldn’t wait to meet some nz eels. Pull up on the side of the road here and you’ll see some straight away, start chucking food in and they all come out. Saw at least 20! Was feeding them frozen shrimp and they loved it. Gave a few of them some pats, 10/10 best thing to do in the area 😂”
Shannon McCallum
“One of the stops I was most looking forward to on the trip! Eels who will swim right to the edge of the water, and rise out of the water to be fed. Remember not to get fingers too close, their bite is firm! 100/10 would plan another west coast trip to return!”
Steph W
“Stumbled upon Neil’s eels while exploring the area, a 10/10 find! Many adorable wee faces to gaze longingly at and give a meat treat to. Please be gentle with them and treat them with respect, as per the info sign - they have swum a long way!”
Valentine Bick (Val_from_NZ)
“Well worth stopping by! Such a special little place. The eels are amazing. Bring some dog roll or chopped meat and they will eat out of your hands. Please be gentle with them :)”
Reviews from Google
Overview
Neil's Eels is not a business but a creek beside Garveys Road, a few minutes out of Westport towards Cape Foulwind, where a colony of wild longfin eels has learned that cars mean food. Pull over, walk to the bank and they arrive within moments, lifting their heads out of the water to take pieces of meat from your fingers. A sign asks visitors to be gentle; there are no staff, no facilities and no charge. Longfin eels are a threatened native species, so this is a rare close encounter.
