Pohatu Penguins, restoration and conservation, truly inspiring

‘welcome of the wild side’ Joey exclaimed as we drove high above the headland and down into the valley below. The views were amazing indeed but we were not here for these. Having spent the afternoon hanging out with seals and dolphins the conservationist in me was keen to discover more about the local marine life, across on the remote South East corner of Banks Peninsula was an incredible story. Over in Flea Bay was an example of what can be done with a lot of hard work and determination. Pohatu Penguins is a family run eco tourism encounter created by 30+ years of hard work by a sheep farming family. Dedicated to saving the little white penguins, endemic to Canterbury they have successfully built and maintained the largest colony of little penguins to be found anywhere in Australasia. I met up with their engaging daughter, Joey, to learn more. Joey grew up in Flea Bay and spent days with penguins being rehabilited in her kitchen so she certainly knows a few things about these adorable little guys. We began by covering ourselves in camouflaged capes to help disguise our presence with the penguins. The New Zealand spring time through early summer is the time that the penguins nest and our job that night was to check on a selected group of eggs and chicks to ensure everything appeared good and healthy. Nests are now present all over the large farm with some man made and others penguin created. Apparently the penguins are little battlers and love nothing more than kicking rabbits out of their burrows to claim them for their own! Beachside properties are in much demand and are usually an indication of the fittest and strongest parents thereby the most robust little chicks. The lingering smell of penguin poo is a good sign of a healthy chick and this was certainly present at box one. I could barely contain my excitement as joey opened the box to unveil two very fluffy bundles. At three weeks old they looked to be doing well. As night fell we used binoculars to peer out to sea. Heading home in what is known as rafts – groups of penguins gathered together for safety to await landfall at darkness.  A few braver souls landed early on the rocks below us flopping in ungraceful penguin fashion on to dry land. As darkness descended our time with the penguins came to an end –  a low grumble from a bush told us we had to leave to allow them the security of returning to their nests without any human presence. I was deeply humbled to have spent a short amount of time in their landscape and to have witnessed some inspiring conservation work.