Classic Kong at Auckland Zoo

11 January 2006

Classic Kong at Auckland Zoo - an extraordinary night at the movies

Movie goers with a sense of adventure will want to get along to Auckland Zoo's night screening of the classic King Kong on 26 January, which is offering a little more than your average movie experience.

A fundraiser for the zoo's Conservation Fund, guests are encouraged to dress up in 1930s style. After enjoying the original King Kong movie, the audience will be treated to a specially guided torch-lit walk around the zoo.

While participants are unlikely to come across the likes of any Skull Island inhabitants, they will be walking by the homes of a number of Auckland Zoo animals who appeared in the opening scenes of Peter Jackson's recently released King Kong. Among animals featured in this latest blockbuster are spider monkeys, cotton-top tamarins, chimpanzee Janie, orang utan and elephants.

For the $30 ticket price, movie goers will also receive a complimentary glass of wine, and free popcorn. Individuals who fully embrace the evening by dressing up as their favourite character from the 1933 movie, will also be in to win tickets to the zoo's upcoming ZooMusic series.

The venue for the screening, the Grasslands (African) Theatre, will be appropriately themed to set the scene for this limited entry event, which runs from 7pm - 10pm.

Eighty-five tickets go on sale today. All proceeds from the evening will go to the Auckland Zoo Conservation Fund, which supports projects in the wild, both locally and internationally. Among projects this fund supports are the Sumatran Orang utan Conservation Project, Cheetah Outreach, 'Ark in the Park' in the Waitakere Ranges, Campbell Island teal, and the Cuc Phuong Turtle Project in Vietnam.

"This is a fantastic opportunity for people to enjoy a very different night out, directly contribute to vital conservation in the wild plus see a classic movie," says Auckland Zoo Curator, Maria Finnigan, who has worked extensively with endangered great apes.

Tickets for this 7pm - 10pm event are limited to 85 people. Movie commences at 7.30pm. A cash bar will be operating. Ticket price: $30 per person (adult or child) - available by phoning Olivia on (09) 360 4871. Tickets can also be purchased at the zoo's Information Centre. Advance bookings recommended. Limited gate sales may be available.

ENDS

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