Scheduled for completion this year, Auckland Zoo's new South East Asia Jungle Track is the most ambitious project in its 96-year history. The new multimillion-dollar development will provide four new animal habitats and an immersive experience for those who visit.
A stunning new cafe/function venue will serve as the nerve centre for the new habitats. Te Puna, which translates to 'the spring' is in a prime location for keen animal spotters. The 200-person building overlooks the soon-to-be-completed high canopy habitat across the central lake. Those dining on the expansive outdoor deck will be just metres away from arboreal primates like orangutan and siamang gibbons as they traverse a network of towering aerial pathways.
Inside, the cafe offers a rotating range of cabinet goods, from vegetarian bahn mi, hot pies and polenta chips to fresh-baked date scones, decadent gateaux and iced lamingtons. Once the South East Asia Jungle Track is complete the cafe will give direct access to a boardwalk, taking visitors out across the lake and wetlands and over to the swamp forest.
