Ti Point Reptile Park

Ti Point Reptile Park in Leigh holds New Zealand's largest collection of native and exotic reptiles, set among coastal bush with sea views. Children make a beeline for the tuatara — one of the country's rarest sights — then work their way through alligators, iguanas, tortoises, turtles, amphibians, tarantulas and more.

A visit runs comfortably to one or two hours, and the park is well suited to a packed picnic, with space to slow down between enclosures and take in the surroundings.

The park sits close to Te Hawere-a-Maki / Goat Island Marine Reserve, making it a natural pairing for families already heading up the Matakana coast for the day.