New central hub opens at Wellington Zoo

Wellington Zoo has unveiled a new central hub. The new $1.7 million Kamala building (named after the Zoo's famous elephant) houses a function space, children's play area, picnic area, reptile enclosures and a cafe.
The complex makes use of the facade of the Zoo's former elephant house, demolished last year, which was built in 1927 for the its first elephant. And while the elephant and her house are gone, Kamala remains at the new heart of Wellington Zoo.
Kamala arrived in Wellington in 1953 and crowds came out to see her stroll through the city streets to the zoo in Newtown. Elephant rides were a favourite attraction at the Zoo until her death in 1983.
During the recent opening of the new complex, Zoo Trust Chair Ross Martin explained that the building is intended to be the new "heart" of the zoo, adding that it aims to be a place for Wellingtonians to "sit and have a latte and a muffin and let the kids run around."
The new centre is part of the $20.8 million 10-year capital development plan, of which Wellington City Council has contributed about $15.6 million.

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