Conservation for the nation

In a hilly terrain mostly stripped for farming, we can’t help but notice a long line of forest in the valley below. Avril tells us how her uncle and aunty have gifted this piece of their land to the Department of Conservation (DoC) so there are the funds to protect the land making it the largest native forest on the Banks Peninsula. We are blown away hearing the stories of one family’s dedication to New Zealand conservation, giving us a feel-good factor for even choosing to do this penguin tour.

Crazy pet sheep feeding session

We arrive at Flea Bay, the Pohatu Penguins’ base of operation, to the sound of baaing sheep. What? We get out of the van and Avril rushes away leaving us to watch a flock of sheep run from the hills towards her.

“Who wants to feed the sheep?” she cries over the baaing. Well, we decide to get stuck into it, grabbing some feed for the sheep and enjoying the hilarity of (what we always thought were) undomesticated animals want to be our friends.

Blue penguin rehabilitation station

After the chaos of sheep feeding, we follow Avril into the garden of her aunt and uncle’s to put on some camouflage layers. Not only does this keep us warm, but it is less likely to scare the penguins than our bright jackets. Dressed to impress, we go to a section of the garden where some penguin rehabilitation is taking place. Avril talks about the rehabilitating the chicks that for whatever reason, whether they have lost their parents or wandered away from their burrows, they have been found starving. Avril’s family will bring them back here and feed them three times a day to fatten them up to increase their chances of surviving in the wild.

We get the closer look than ever before of little blue penguins as Avril’s aunt feeds six chicks with bowls of anchovies. One by one, she guides an anchovy into the mouth of a chick still with its fluffy down holding onto its body or creating a badass mohawk on its head. We can really appreciate how small the world’s smallest species of penguins really are. (And not to mention how cute!)

The wildlife sanctuary of Flea Bay

Now, Avril takes us on a walk around the beautiful Flea Bay to check out little blue penguins in the wild. Along with seeing artificial and natural nesting burrows and Avril explaining how to check if the chick in the nesting burrow is healthy, we also so a few more wildlife that use Flea Bay as their sanctuary. A variable oyster catcher leads its chicks around the rocks on the bay below, while a couple of New Zealand fur seals roll around in their sleep.

Watching little blue penguins in their natural environment

As we make our way over a fairly rugged path high above the waters of Flea Bay, we stop at various locations of optimal penguin spotting. The best of which comes at the end of the track with a group of penguins gathering on the rocks below. A cheeky fur seal swims past, scaring them higher up the rocks. After seeing the penguins so close in rehabilitation, it’s extra rewarding to watch the penguins natural behaviour from a distance where they can just be themselves! Watching penguins makes all our troubles of today float away for just a moment.

Part 2 – The Crappy Part of Day 219