Auckland Zoo unveils a $16m addition today - boasting rare snails, bats and fish.
The 3.2ha precinct showcases about 60 different native animals and more than 100 native plant species and Maori artwork.
The new addition has been a dream of the zoo's for about 15 years but the final six-area version has been in planning for more than five years, said Auckland Zoo director Jonathan Wilcken.
The walk-through experience can take an hour or can be explored over multiple visits.
The enclosure was the new home to rare flax snail, he said, as well as short-tailed bats, giant cockatoo, freshwater fish and longfin eels.
