What it is
The zoo started in 1969 as the Hilldale Game Farm, owned by Murray and Gloria Powell, which mainly raised game birds alongside a small collection of exotic mammals and birds. It is now owned by Hamilton City Council and lies in the suburb of Rotokauri.
More than 90 species are kept on the site, among them chimpanzees, Sumatran tigers, southern white rhinos, African painted dogs, cheetahs, giraffes, red pandas, siamangs and native New Zealand birds. Paths lead through landscaped enclosures and a large walk-through aviary.
Getting there by bus
Route 3 (Dinsdale) stops right by the entrance at 183 Brymer Rd (Hamilton Zoo), stop 5064, about 250 metres from the coordinate of the zoo, roughly a three-minute walk.
The same route also serves Baverstock Road (stops 6531 and 7609, about 580 metres away) and Farnborough Drive further south, both useful when connecting from Dinsdale.
