Up close and personal

More on experience presents - remember Trent the Big Cats zookeeper at Auckland Zoo, and how he went to South Africa to pick up the two cheetahs? Well, I'm sure you've heard of the Cheetah Experience you can have at Auckland Zoo - getting up close and personal with the cheetahs. As in patting them and being in their space. But did you know that there are other encounters you can do at the zoo? Elephants, hippos, sealions, primates... even the tigers. Of course, depending on the experience, you may not necessarily be having physical contact with the animal (do you really want to pat that tiger?), but you'd still be having a whale of a time getting a behind the scenes look.

Definitely feel-good aspects too - a percentage of the costs will go towards conservation fieldwork.

Check out the tours and experiences offered by Auckland Zoo here: http://www.aucklandzoo.co.nz/functions/index.php#zoom