Auckland Zoo has a hands-off policy with most of the species held here, therefore physical contact with the animals is not guaranteed on every tour.

Unfortunately, we are not able to accommodate wheelchairs on our Zoom (behind the scenes) tours. The backstage areas of the Zoo are not designed for wheelchair use and most of our animals are unlikely to approach an object they are not familiar with.

Most Zoom (behind the scenes) tours are only suitable for children 8 years old and over except for the Cheetah Experience and Tiger Experience, with the minimum age being 10 years and the Galapagos tortoise Experience, with the minimum age being 7 years.

For the Cheetah Experience, you must also be at least 1.3 meters tall (this includes all joint tours that incorporate the cheetah tour).

A paying adult must accompany children under 15.

The only Zoom (behind the scenes) tours which may be postponed due to bad weather are the Primate Experience and Cheetah Experience. All other tours will still run.

You can bring a camera if you want but it is not necessary as your guide will have a camera with them, which they are trained to use. You will receive a copy of your photos on a disk after your tour at no extra charge.

It is best to contact us to discuss any disabilities so we can assess them on a case-by-case basis.

For all tours, please make sure that you wear comfortable clothing and covered walking shoes, e.g. sneakers. You may also require a raincoat if we have bad weather.

If you are doing the Cheetah Experience, please do not wear any bright colours, dangling jewellery, hats or sunglasses. These can all affect the behaviour of the cheetahs. We will provide you with gumboots for the Elephant Experience.

You can pay for your tour by credit card, cheque, direct credit, EFTPOS or cash.   Your tour must be paid in full to confirm your booking and payment should be received at least two weeks in advance of your tour.

The tour price does include your Zoo entry fee so feel free to come in earlier and stay after your tour.

If you have any further questions feel free to contact the Zoom team.