Willowbank

Willowbank, aah, Willowbank. My family has a serious love affair with Willowbank.

Before I had kids my knowledge of Willowbank was minimal. I'd been there once in the evening for dinner at the restaurant in 1996. It was my sister's 16th birthday, plus the night that myself and the husband (then he was simply a British tourist I fancied) decided "officially" to tie the knot. Maybe it was the romance of Willowbank that clinched it for us?

Anyway, a few years down the track the kids arrived en masse. (Well, okay, en duo, if you will). Suddenly we rediscovered Willowbank.

Willowbank is FANTASTIC for preschoolers. All the paths are stroller/pram-friendly (which also means that they're wheelchair friendly as well, in case that's an issue for you). You never have to walk for very long to come across the next animal attraction - very handy for keeping the little ones interested.

We rediscovered Willowbank when my son (now 5) was about 3 (although I'd recommend the place to anyone, children or no children, and even babies after the age of about 6 months seem to enjoy seeing the animals). After one visit we realised what a hit it was and immediately bought annual passes - EXCELLENT VALUE. We now visit on a monthly basis, and dependent on the weather there's always something new to see. (I remember once going when it was raining - we had the park almost to ourselves and WOW! Suddenly all the animals that are usually so shy on a sunny day were out in force.)

The other good thing about having an annual pass (and thus going regularly throughout the year) is that you can visit during each season, which is great from a "cycle of life" perspective. We've seen ducklings, baby pukekos, goslings, lambs, and my absolute favourite - the Kunekune piglets (always at this time of year there's a sign up saying they're for sale, and I'm always SORELY tempted).

Our favourite parts of Willowbank:

• The Kiwi House - I've been to a few Kiwi Houses in my time and this is BY FAR the best I've ever encountered. On a good day you can see about six kiwis and sometimes they're close enough to touch (but DON'T).
• The Farmyard - splash out and buy some animal food at the front desk. It's fun to feed the llamas, the pigs, the sheep, and especially that rambunctious goat that always gets itself tied up into knots trying to get at the food.
• The Aviary - those kea are fantastic. We once happened upon the aviary when it was kea feeding time, which was very interesting.
• The Eels - again, you can buy food for the eels if you like, but try to catch the eel feeding if you can - lots of interesting information to learn if you ask the right questions!
• The Geese - these are free range geese and actually scare the living daylights out of my kids. But I love them. I also love the free range ducks, pukekos, chickens and peacocks.

Other animals you can see are deer, ostriches, wallabies, turtles, spider monkeys, otters, parrots, lemurs, chimpanzees, Clydesdale horse, and more.

Okay, so no place is perfect, right? Well, yes. There are a couple of things I DON'T like about Willowbank.

Firstly, the only toilets are in the main building. I learnt the hard way (with young children) that it's best to remember to GO TO THE TOILET FIRST before you set off around the park. Otherwise you'll end up with kids whining "I need to go WEEEEEEEES! NOW!!!!!!" and you have to quickly race back to the main reception building (or else try to do a sneaky one in the bushes, which I haven't had to resort to YET).

Secondly, the picnic area by the Farmyard isn't really that great. Sure, there are a few tables and chairs scattered around, but the last time we went to Willowbank it was 35 degrees celsius and SWELTERING. NO-ONE was sitting at the tables. Everyone was huddled around the edges of the picnic area trying to get any shade they could find. It was actually extremely uncomfortable. Sure sure, I realise that on a usual Christchurch day the last thing anyone wants is shade, but surely it'd be good to put out some sun umbrellas or at the very least MOVE THE TABLES to somewhere shady on a hot hot day?

But overall, no real complaints. Willowbank is a great day out.

THE LOWDOWN

Cost:

Adults $21, Kids 5 and over $10.50, Seniors $18.00 (current as of today), Under 5's FREE.

Annual pass: Adults $29, Child $19, Family $62 (valid one year from date of purchase).

Hours:

From 10am til late (evening dinner, Maori Cultural Experience and night tours available at night - haven't done it yet, but hope to go this year)

Location:

60 Hussey Road, on the city boundary. Drive yourself or take the Christchurch Best Attractions Bus from Cathedral Square (see website for more info).

Suitable for:

Adults, children, teenagers, preschoolers, seniors, disabled.

Allow:

About 2 - 3 hours, and remember to take a picnic lunch (or else you'll end up having to splash out at the cafe, which isn't the worst thing in the world that can happen).

My rating: 9 out of 10.