1 / 3National Kiwi Hatchery
📍 Ngongotahā, Bay of Plenty
Best for children aged five and up who like animals and a real conservation story. A guided tour of the working hatchery beside the Agrodome, with a nocturnal house for seeing kiwi and, in season, eggs and chicks.
Absolutely rate this experience! Teresa showed us through the hatchery, and she is 11/10 made for this role. The enthusiasm was palpable, and her ability to connect with the people on the tour was incredible (let her put a hat on the ferret!). We were lucky enough to see two babies out of season, which was so unreal! Definitely do the tour if you get a chance. So worth it.
🏆 Family Action Verdict
A genuinely special hour for school-age kids: a quiet, dark room with a real kiwi in it beats any documentary, and the guides pitch the science at children without dumbing it down. It is a tour, not a walk-through, so book a slot and arrive early. Under-fives are not admitted, and cameras stay in your pocket inside the hatchery.
ℹ️ What to Know Before You Go
💬 What Families Are Saying
View all reviews →1,078 Google reviews
Rachael Maclaren
“Absolutely rate this experience! Teresa showed us through the hatchery, and she is 11/10 made for this role. The enthusiasm was palpable, and her ability to connect with the people on the tour was incredible (let her put a hat on the ferret!). We were lucky enough to see two babies out of season, which was so unreal! Definitely do the tour if you get a chance. So worth it.”
Andrea Simmons
“A must see in Rotorua! It was informative and educational. Although our Rotorua visit was just outside the hatching season, we got lucky and saw the cutest Kiwi chick from one of their two breeding pairs. It was the highlight of our short stay and so glad to have supported a great program! Love your wonderful work!! (taking pics inside the hatchery is not permitted)”
Tanesha Vagha
“Nico was our very knowledgeable and friendly guide for this tour. Even though it wasn’t hatching season, it was still a very interesting experience, we even caught a glimpse of the female kiwi, which was amazing. It was great to understand and see the incredible work being done to help these birds thrive on their own.”
Marcia Burke
“Our family (46,47,19 & 24) had a great time at the Kiwi hatchery. We learned so much from the tour guide and really enjoyed seeing the residents Kiwis. It was really an enjoyable stop and I highly recommend it! They are doing great conservation work!”
Reviews from Google
Overview
The National Kiwi Hatchery is a working conservation facility at the Agrodome in Ngongotahā that incubates kiwi eggs collected from the wild and raises the chicks until they are big enough to survive a stoat. The guided tour covers interactive displays, the incubation and nursery areas and a nocturnal house where you watch resident kiwi. Allow about an hour and a half including the shuttle from the Agrodome. Reviews say the guides make it, and even out of season you usually see a kiwi.
