We had not originally planned to visit but got a tip from our waitress at the Bathhouse in Queenstown. We went with minimal expectations (we thought it was something like a petting zoo) but we were swept away by the sights and the sheer grandeur of the whole thing. By chance, my wife met the owner of the place and her brother. We were short on 2$ coins (you NEED these to get animal food, as the dispensers are non-electric and need that shape to dispense), and my wife mentioned this to the owner, not knowing who they were. These nice people then handed us some $2 coins and some baguettes to feed their animals and didn’t ask for anything in return.
Apparently there has been a recent change, charging $55 per car for entry. You do this by going to the website posted at the entry, and you can use credit card for that. A few people at the entry were questioning whether it was worth it. I can say, if you get a sunny or even partially cloudy day, then it’s absolutely worth the cost. It took half a day to get all the way up to the top of the hill (this place is huge), and it gives you 360 degree views of mountains and Lake Wakatipu. Our kids had a great time feeding and petting pigs, donkeys, goats, alpacas, and sheep. We would go again.