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Home > Categories > Tourist > Nature Attractions > Owlcatraz review

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Score: 8.6/10  [2 reviews]
3 out of 5
ProdID: 291 - Owlcatraz
Location: State Highway 57, Shannon

Owlcatraz
Price:
$0.00
Available:
Normal Hours

Owlcatraz product reviews

Enjoy a guided tour with the friendly team at Owlcatraz.

Meet our native NZ owls in surroundings as never seen before.

Walk through peaceful spectaular native bush with wooden bridges and the old waterwheel.

Experience the nostalgia of Ye Olde Shannon Jail complete with fascinating owl collection.

Meet the animals on our farm walk, and experience the thrill of the Owl House, as well as the Wairuru Caves with their glow-worms. Age restriction: 8yrs and older.

We also have a picnic area, complimentary tea and coffee and a craft shop.

Open from 9am daily for guided tours. Tours for groups, clubs and school trips are also available.

We also run a free bus from Palmerston North to Owlcatraz and back. Book at the PN Visitor Centre, or your Hotel or Motel office.

Contact Details:
State Highway 57
Shannon, NZ.
Ph: +64 (0)6 362-7872
www.owlcatraz.co.nz



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Product reviews...

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Click here to read the profile of muffinmum

Review by: muffinmum (Emma)
Dated: 6th of September, 2011

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This Review: 9.5/10
Value For Money:
Score 10 out of 10
Appeal:
Score 9 out of 10
Accessibility:
Score 9 out of 10
Personal Choice:
Score 10 out of 10

Over Christmas 2010 we went on an over night trip to Palmerston North (from Wellington). Owlcatraz was one of the reasons for our trip. It could easily be done in a day but we wanted to feel like we had been on holiday.
Miss was 7 1/2 years and was wowed before we even stepped out of the car as she saw a donkey and a horse. The last time we had visited the huge bull Big Red was still alive and Miss wasn't born. The place has changed since then due to flooding, well except for the reception which still looked the same.
The tour around is guided and our Scottish gentleman was brilliant. We saw lots of native birds and some babies. He knew all the birds and told wonderful stories about the characters. He was one of those guides where you find it hard to believe he does the same speech a few times a day.
I would highly recommend this place, it is worth a little detour for. It is an attraction that is loved and cherished by it's owners and staff. It is a unique Kiwi experience.

Click here to read the profile of tucker

Review by: tucker (Karl)
Dated: 8th of July, 2004

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This Review: 7.8/10
Value For Money:
Score 8 out of 10
Appeal:
Score 8 out of 10
Accessibility:
Score 7 out of 10
Personal Choice:
Score 8 out of 10

When Ross and Janet first got the land, it was discovered to have been Shannon's first rubbish tip, so of course it was full of junk. After many years of hard labour cleaning, clearing, landscaping and replanting with native bush, they have created a clean, lush native park with a difference.

I took my son and his mother out there recently for the little fellow's birthday, and we were greeted at the door by a lovely wee dog and a sulfur-crested cockatoo named Joey, who wandered around our feet. The friendly staff were not far behind, keen to be of assistance.

After a quick chat, and some money changing hands, we were on our way through to the walkways for our guided tour. As we wandered, we were made aware of a number of small statuettes scattered around the trails. We were informed that if the little ones remembered any of them, they would get a little prize at the end of the tour.

Our tour began with Racheal taking us on the Farm Walk, to meet such animals as an artificially created deer who was a one-of-a-kind from a cross-species experiment, a giant bull (not Big Red, Red's Dead, this was his replacement, Little Simon), an errant Kune Pig (called Oha... Oha Kune... ok, it's a subtle joke.) who was too busy and well-fed to visit us, and others.

We then swapped tourguides and were taken on the Bird Walk by Nick, who introduced us to the native Morepork Owls (all with names that were bad owl puns, such as Owlvis Prestley, etc), the Wekas, the Wood Pigeons, etc.

We were then free to wander the remains of the grounds, including the geckos and skinks, the Ye Olds Shannon Jail, the picnic area with ducks and rabbits etc. We even found the almost-hidden Weta Box... a wooden box on a tree, and when you open it you are confronted by a perspex sheet restraining a multitude of creepy crawlies. Yes, I hate wetas.

We were told about the upcoming projects, such as a Wallaby enclosure, the 2-acre lake with 3 islands and bridges, and the Reptile House. These are all due in the next few years, some as soon as by the end of the month. The lake is well underway but will be the longest project.

Despite assurances on the website that there was wheelchair access throughout the walkways, except in the caves, I could see a few patched where there would be trouble for a wheelchair to make much progress without at least 2 burly assistants, but I was assured that this was only a visual thing, and that chairs had easy access.

The donkey rides were not apparent, so I assume they were off the tour that day (possibly due to the rotten weather earlier that day) and the train rides were off the menu due to a mechanical fault, but they would have been a nice addition. We also missed out on the Glow-worm Caves due to the age restriction. Our son was under 8 years old, so we couldn't go through. A pity, but understandable, with the safety issues and the need to remain quiet... something kids are not exactly able to do at times of excitement.

Overall, there was a nice rustic feel to the place, though it would have been nice to have a greater degree of freedom to wander-at-will, but that will come with the lake project's completion. The guides were full of information, always friendly and willing to answer any questions asked of them. This was quite an educational experience.


Random listing from 'Tourist'...

Score: 8.6
Product reviews for listing 291: Owlcatraz
Location: State Highway 57, Shannon

Product image for OwlcatrazEnjoy a guided tour with the friendly team at Owlcatraz.

Meet our native NZ owls in surroundings as never seen before.

Walk through peaceful spectaular native bush with wooden bridges and the old waterwheel.

Experience the nostalgia of Ye Olde Shannon Jail complete with fascinating owl ... more...

Go to the listing

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