Check out the Bug Lab at Auckland Zoo

Last updated on 27 December 2024

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The Bug Lab was revoltingly awesome.

And I suppose that’s the point. Like many people, I’m not really a big fan of bugs. I like some – bees are great if you don’t anger them, caterpillars are cute and fuzzy, butterflies are pretty, and the praying mantis is hilarious – but others I’ll keep away from, please and thank you (I’m looking at (from a distance) you, spiders, wasps, annoying little moths that breed everywhere).

But as we headed to the Bug Lab (which was set up in Auckland Zoo after being in Wellington for ages), the craftsmanship and the talent that went into creating the marvellous exhibition really put my anti-bug thoughts at ease. The attention to detail is something Weta Workshop does so incredibly well, and the Bug Lab is no different.

Divided into different sections, the zones are dedicated to various bugs, including the mantis, wasps (*shiver*), and bees. The bees were definitely my favourite, and I felt like I was in the bee episode from Pushing Daises, or simply, The Bee Movie.

All the sections were incredibly informative, with interactive stations where you could click things, put rods into bugs’ brains (true story), and answer questions that lit up when you answered correctly. There was even a part where you could fold your own origami moth/butterfly/winged bug, and pop it into an air vacuum, cylinder-type contraption that floated them to the top on airwaves. Super neat.

Even if you’re like me and you’re not really a bug person, the Bug Lab is definitely worth a visit. Make a day of it and combine a zoo pass with you ticket and it’s slightly cheaper. (Speaking of the zoo, there are lots of baby animals there at the moment!)

Have you been to the Bug Lab? Did you go in Wellington or Auckland?