Curious George at the Zoo

Tom's last day here was suppose to be spent walking around downtown Auckland, milling about the shops, people watching and having one nice lunch out on the town. We were also going to see if the Cookie Bar was open. The Cookie Bar is a bar, but it has a variety of milks on tap and serves only cookies and sweets on their menu. As we were finishing up buttermilk pancakes and bacon (the real bacon that comes in rashes, not the silly sliced ham they claim to be bacon), I suggested that perhaps instead of taking Tom, who is currently teaching in Korea, to a busy street filled with people to eat in a restaurant, maybe we could do something a little more interesting...the ZOO! Everyone was on board and shortly we were paying our admission to the Auckland Zoo, which in a happy coincidence is pretty much just down the street.

One of the first animals we came across was a crane species known as a Brolga having a slurp from the watering hole.

Next up was one of the most beautiful land turtles I have seen, the great Galapagos Turtle. He was trying to take a nap despite his paparazzi. 

Just around the corner from the Galapagos Turtle was a display of cactus and we just had to stop to take a photo as it is not often that I see such beautiful blooms on cacti 

This little guy, the Cotton Top Tamarin,  was super cute jumping around from branch to branch. 

Next up was the Alligators who were lounging around in the sun. 

From there we looped back around to see the lemurs again as the zoo has interactive programs and the lemurs were being fed by some lucky children who were able to get up close and interact with the cute little guys. 

Why does the orangutan have a blanket on his head? I have only two possible solutions. 

1) It is very hot and he will take any shade he can get 

2) He is mimicking all of the tourists he sees wearing hats as we try and create some shade for ourselves

Another, younger, orangutan is playing with some of the habitat by being both an acrobat and completely relaxed 

The meerkats were busy at work digging tunnels. One of the fantastic things about this exhibit was that there were (child sized) tunnels of clear tubes under parts of their habitats so children were able to climb in and see some of the digging from underground.

 These little guys are some of the world's smallest penguins - the Korora. As you can see, they are a tropical penguin and they are faintly blue in the way that flamingos are faintly pink.

Here is the Tuatara which Mark informs me has been around since the time of the dinosaurs. He is very excited about the whole Jurassic Park thing. 

This heron was one of the animals we felt the worst for in our visit. It was hot, there was not much shade and this guy was in a walk through display so he wasn't even that sheltered from some of the tourists who insisted in getting a bit too close for comfort. 

Some of the ornithology habitats were amazing with all the birds flying here and there. Some of them clearly liked their public and were willing to pose for photos, like this guy the Kea, a bird known for literally destroying cars. 

Even the big cats who are used to this sort of temperature were using their years of experience to find a cool place to lay low during the heat of the day. 

This is Burma, the zoo's Asian Elephant. When we met her, she was out on her daily walk vising the baboon enclosure. From there she went to visit some other friends throughout the zoo. 

More big cats doing what they do best in high heat...finding a heavily shaded area to lay down and observe their public. This guy was beautifully framed by the trees in a way that makes him look as regal as they come in the animal kingdom.

These guys are one of my most favorites to see at any zoo. I am not sure if is the silly one legged stance, the pink colouring of the beaks that look like the belong on a cartoon but I find these guys captivating to look at and observe. 

No zoo is complete without some very large animals, and in addition to the zoo's elephant and their hippopotamuses, they have rhinos! These guys are beautiful and my favorite quote of the day was heard while watching this pair move from side to side in the shade trying to get comfortable. A small child made the observation that the zoo had the sign wrong stating to her father "Why do they call them white rhinoceros if they are grey? Aren't zoo people suppose to know their colours?"

The very last habitat in the African Safari section was the enclosure with the giraffes and the zebras. The observation towers were built up nice and high so you could really get a feel for just how large these beautiful animals are in person. Stunning. 

For those of you who want to see what the zoo has to offer as you plan your trip - Lisa the Tasmanian Devils are arriving next year-  you can visit their link here:

http://www.aucklandzoo.co.nz/explore-the-zoo/meet-the-animals.aspx