Orana park's new attraction stands head and shoulders above the rest

Orana Wildlife Park's new 20-month old female giraffe, Kamili. Photo: Orana Wildlife Trust

Orana Wildlife Park has a tall new resident - a young female giraffe called Kamili.

The 20-month-old giraffe arrived at the park in Christchurch from the Perth Zoo on Sunday night.

And her journey has not been a short one. She travelled across the Nullarbor desert - which spans about 1100km from east to west between South and Western Australia - from Perth to Melbourne before embarking on a seven-day sea voyage to Lyttelton.

On Monday morning, Kamili completed her Ministry for Primary Industries checks and is now being introduced to the park's herd of three female giraffes and a young male.

She will be in quarantine for the next three days but fully visible to the public.

Kamili (right) has already made friends with Harriet, one of four other giraffes at Orana Wildlife Park. Photo: Orana Wildlife Trust

Giraffes are the tallest living land-based animal on the planet and are primarily found throughout Africa.

Their main food source is leaves, fruits and flowers, which they browse at heights most other herbivores cannot reach.

Orana Wildlife Park is set on 80ha within a 15min drive of Christchurch Airport. It is New Zealand’s only open range zoo and is home to more than 400 animals, including the country's only gorillas and orangutans.