After more than 12 hours on the road, Zuri the giraffe safely arrived in the capital, rolling into Wellington Zoo shortly after midnight on Monday.

After the 650km road trip, Auckland Zoo spokeswoman Bernie Vogels said one-year-old Zuri was "doing really well".

"She spent a lot of time on her feet, but also sitting down and resting."

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SUPPLIED Zuri the giraffe has a lunch break in Tokoroa, as she heads down to Wellington Zoo from Auckland. The trip is expected to take around 12 hours.

The 3.5-metre giraffe was put into her crate in Auckland around 7.30am before being craned onto a truck. Vogels said she would remain in her crate until Tuesday morning.

"We took regular breaks to check on her and give her food, and she ate quite a lot which was really good."

LAWRENCE SMITH / FAIRFAX NZ Zuri peeking out from her customised wooden crate

The trip created a unique opportunity for many North Island residents, with Vogels saying "the real highlight was all the kids from all the little towns".

"We had a gorgeous group of kids from Waiouru come out to see her which was pretty cool."

Nice to meet the kids from Waiouru School! #giraffeonthemove pic.twitter.com/o3qRDM5e70 — Auckland Zoo (@aucklandzoo) May 30, 2016

LAWRENCE SMITH/Stuff.co.nz Auckland Zoo's giraffe Zuri sets off on her trip to Wellington Zoo.

Their route was often dictated by the height of Zuri's crate, with trolley bus cables lifted in central Wellington during the final approach to Wellington Zoo in Newtown.

"We had to take it slowly," Vogels said.

Zuri caught the attention of schoolchildren in Tirau, had a late lunch about mid-afternoon, stopped in Tokoroa and Taupo, and endured a chilly 4 degrees Celsius when passing through Waiouru at 6pm.

She was in good spirits throughout the journey, which had not been without its hiccups.

Zuri's large flatbed truck, with its customised giraffe crate, had to make several attempts at rounding a tight corner on the way out of Auckland Zoo.

Then, as the convoy reached the Bombay Hills, there was a slight delay as the crate got stuck on a bolt sticking out from under a bridge, Auckland Zoo's Nat Sullivan said.

"We reversed and went to the left-hand side of that, it wasn't anything major at all."

As the journey progressed, Zuri was putting her head down more, possibly to stabilise herself, or to keep out of the wind.

There was a quick stop in Tokoroa so she could have a snack, before continuing on her journey south.

The truck travelled at normal speeds but took longer than a normal trip to allow for height or traffic-related detours, as well as frequent checks on Zuri's condition.

Along with a zookeeper and vet, Sullivan drove down behind Zuri to keep an eye on her in her bespoke crate, which had room for her to move around, sit down and stand fully upright.

Based on previous giraffe transfers, zookeepers said Zuri may not want to eat anything, but she was being offered her usual concentrated pellets and fresh fruit, vegetables and willow leaves.

Here's Zuri's snacks for the trip - thankfully our @MazdaNZ has plenty of room! #giraffeonthemove pic.twitter.com/MXnvpPm21j — Auckland Zoo (@aucklandzoo) May 29, 2016

She might even try to grab a bite of fast-food, Sullivan joked during the journey. "Sometimes [giraffes being transferred] try to take big chunks out of passing trees."

Zuri's crate had a backward-facing opening through which she could poke her head, but wing-like barriers around it prevented her getting hurt.

At her new home at Wellington Zoo, she will join their resident mother-daughter giraffe duo, Tisa and Zahara, who also happen to be her grandmother and aunt.

Depending how she feels, Zuri could be on public display right away.

Short stop in Bombay and we're on our way again! #giraffeonthemove pic.twitter.com/8qnnFXzZws — Auckland Zoo (@aucklandzoo) May 30, 2016

Giraffe Zuri is in the crate - ready to be transferred by crane to the back of a truck #giraffeonthemove pic.twitter.com/bLDWH39PkC — Auckland Zoo (@aucklandzoo) May 29, 2016

Wellington Zoo's animal science manager Simon Eyre said the younger giraffes were transported, the better.

"Zuri needs to be moved before she is fully grown, otherwise she would simply be too big to transport."

TALL STORY

* Zuri was born on April 23, 2015 and is the offspring of Zabulu​, a male, and Rukiya​.

* Since 1998, habitat loss and poaching has caused giraffe numbers to plummet from 140,000 to 80,000.

* Wellington Zoo supports the Traffic organisation, which aims to reduce illegal and unsustainable wildlife trade, with five per cent of the cost of animal transfers such as Zuri's.