Embark on a journey through time with New Zealand's own living fossil, the tuatara. This one-of-a-kind experience at Hamilton Zoo offers an unparalleled opportunity to meet these ancient reptiles and delve into their fascinating prehistoric origins. During the encounter, you'll be guided by our expert ectotherm keepers, who will take you behind the scenes for an exclusive introduction to one of our resident tuataras.

The Tuatara Encounter is currently unavailable. We appreciate your understanding and look forward to welcoming you back to enjoy this experience in the future.

Standard Hamilton Zoo entry fee applies in addition to the price of the Animal Encounter.

All participants must be over the age of 5 years old. Children 5-15 years of age must have an accompanying adult (booked and paid) with them on the encounter. There must be at least one adult per every three children.

Every Animal Encounter is unique and the amount of interaction will be led by the animals themselves to ensure their welfare.

Please read our full terms and conditions before booking.

If you’d like to gift an Animal Encounter but aren’t ready to book a specific date, purchase a gift voucher instead. Simply enter the value of the encounter as the voucher amount in the 'choose your own value' field and complete your payment. Once done, you’ll receive a gift voucher that you can either print out or send directly to the recipient via email.

Please note: The entry fee is not included in the Animal Encounter price. For more details, see our terms and conditions.