Bookings are essential for Meet & Greets, as we have strictly limited capacity. Bookings are not required for Flight of the Falcon unless your group is made up of 10 or more people or someone in your group requires special accommodations to be made for their visit, such as wheelchair users or those with sensory issues. You can book your visit to Wingspan here.

Our minimum age policy ensures the welfare of our birds and the enjoyment of our visitors. We generally find that younger children can struggle to stay quiet and still for the duration of the Meet & Greet. Our Flight of the Falcon show is suitable for children of all ages!

Meet & Greets are held at the same time each day and with one individual bird at a time, so unfortunately, visitors are unable to Meet & Greet multiple birds in one day. You’ll just have to come back for another visit!

Meet & Greets have strictly limited availability and, as such, are non-refundable and non-transferable. Should a refund be provided at Wingspan’s discretion, an administration fee of $25 will be applied.

Stroking or patting the birds is not permitted – our birds don’t enjoy that kind of interaction like cats and dogs do! The natural oils on our fingertips can also damage the waterproofing on the birds’ feathers. Meet & Greets offer the chance to get up close to these magnificent animals. While we can’t guarantee it – it’s the bird’s choice how they participate – they will often perch on your outstretched arm, shoulder, or head!

Wingspan offers a special rate for school groups, details of which you can find here. There is no discount for other groups, sorry.

Absolutely! We welcome photography for personal use – help us spread the word! Photography or filming for commercial purposes (large-scale distribution or for profit) requires prior approval and a written release contract between you and Wingspan. Contact our team to enquire about commercial photography.

Believe it or not, we have hosted visitors with a bird phobia before! Reach out to one of our friendly team to discuss whether a visit will work for you and how we can best accommodate your visit.

Our staff have a talent of making falconry look easy, but it is far from it. Staff have undergone months – sometimes years – of training and mentorship to get to this point and have forged a strong bond with their birds not taken for granted, so the general public is unable to participate in training, sorry.

The breeding aviaries are closed to the public to allow the birds peace and quiet to raise their young. New Zealand falcons are especially protective during breeding season, so we aim to limit disturbance as much as possible. All five species of New Zealand raptors can be viewed in our display aviaries.

While Wingspan’s new visitor centre is under development, we do not have a café or eating facilities, sorry. Ask our friendly team for recommendations on local cafés or picnicking areas. Drinkable tap water is available; our staff are happy to refill your water bottle for you! Toilets are available for your convenience, though there are no baby change or feeding rooms. Wingspan is a waste free organisation; we don’t have any rubbish bins and kindly ask all visitors to take their rubbish away with them.

At Wingspan we free fly our birds and, as such, the centre is not suitable for pets. Please note that the car park offers no shade, so pets should not be left in vehicles. Please enquire regarding service animals – our friendly staff are happy to chat.

Wingspan aims to offer an inclusive and welcoming environment for all. Whether you are hard of hearing, have low vision, sensory sensitivities or limited mobility, we would love to see you! If you feel you might need support or special accommodations made during your visit, please do not hesitate to reach out to one of our friendly team members to discuss options.

Our birds do have sharp talons and a strong beak, but they are there to aid them in hunting and eating their food. Believe it or not, they are surprisingly gentle! Nevertheless, visitors are asked to keep their hands to themselves. They can hurt when they want to!