Auckland Zoo

The first public zoo in NZ was opened by the Wellington City Council in 1906, near Newtown Park. The initial occupant was a solitary lion but by the mid 1920s, the zoo housed over 600 animals. The inaugral zoo in Auckland was opened by a local council again and was located at Western Springs in 1922. The animals came from John Boyd's private zoos around the country, which had recently closed down at the time.

Ref: 35-R1804, entrance to Wellington Zoo. Tourist Series 2354, no date, Sir George Grey Special Collections

Compared with today's standards, conditions in both zoos were pretty awful. Auckland Zoo was prone to flooding and had exceedingly tenacious rats who quickly returned whenever they were evicted - not surprisingly, since the zoo was opposite the city dump!

Ref: 1-W655, looking NW from the grounds of Auckland Zoo towards Point Chevalier, 1925, Sir George Grey Special Collections

Take a virtual tour around Auckland zoo through the heritage collections at Auckland Libraries. From the scary to the cuddly and from furry 'Plunket' babies to elephant rides, the zoo had it all, even back in the early days!

You can look for more images of Auckland Zoo, as well as other zoos around the country, through the Heritage Images database. Simply enter the keyword 'Auckland Zoo' or e.g. 'Wellington Zoo' into the search box..

Ref: 35-R161, Hippo Zoo Auckland NZ Tourist Series 3007, c. 1910-1919, Sir George Grey Special Collections

Ref: 35-R173, Auckland Zoo NZ Tourist Series 2081, c. 1920-1929, Sir George Grey Special Collections

Ref: 35-R159, Kangaroo Zoo Auckland N Z Tourist Series 2089, c. 1910-1919, Sir George Grey Special Collections

Ref: 35-R180, Lion Auckland Zoo Tourist Series 3001, c. 1910-1919, Sir George Grey Special Collections

Ref: 35-R162, Sacred Monkey Zoo Auckland N Z Tourist Series 2085, c. 1910-1919, Sir George Grey Special Collections

Ref: 35-R185, polar bears Auckland Zoo Tourist Series 2073, c. 1920-1929, Sir George Grey Special Collections

Ref: AWNS-19290131-50-6, a 'Plunket' baby at the Auckland Zoo, c. 1920-1929, Sir George Grey Special Collections

Ref: 35-R176, Watching the elephant Auckland Zoo N Z Tourist Series 2082, c. 1920-1929, Sir George Grey Special Collections