Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
BEST PLACES TO SEE...
Yellow-Eyed Penguins
One of the world's rarest penguins, the endangered hoiho (yellow-eyed penguin) is found along the Otago coast.
It's estimated that of the roughly 4000 penguins that remain, about a quarter of these nest on deserted beaches in
the southeast of the South Island.
The encroachment of humans on their habitat is one of the main causes of the penguins' decline, and the pen-
guins have been badly distressed by tourists using flash photography or traipsing through the nesting grounds; un-
der no circumstances should you approach one. Even loud voices can disturb them. For this reason, the best way
to see one in the wild is through an organised tour onto private land, such as through Nature's Wonders (
Click
here
) or Penguin Place (
Click here
)
on the Otago Peninsula, or from the cliffs at Bushy Beach (
Click here
) near
Oamaru.
Little Penguins
Nowhere near as rare as their yellow-eyed cousins, little penguins sometimes pop up in the oddest places
(window-shopping in Oamaru's Victorian Precinct, for instance). Also known as blue penguins, little blue pen-
guins, korora (in Maori) and fairy penguins (in Australia), these little cuties can spend days out at sea before re-
turning to their colony just before dusk in batches known as rafts.
Although you might chance upon one at night in Oamaru or on the Otago Peninsula, the best places to see them
arrive en masse are at Oamaru's Blue Penguin Colony (
Click here
) or at the Royal Albatross Centre (
Click here
)
on the Otago Peninsula.
Sea Lions
Sea lions are most easily seen on a tour, but are regularly present at Sandfly Bay, Allans Beach and Victory Beach
on the Otago Peninsula. They are predominantly bachelor males vacationing from Campbell Island or the Auck-
land Islands. Give them plenty of space, as these powerful beasts can really motor over the first 20m.
Activities
Oamaru Steam & Rail
(
www.oamaru-steam.org.nz
;
adult/child/family 1 way $5/2/12, return $8/3/20; 11am-4pm Sun)
On Sundays,
take a half-hour ride on a vintage steam train from the Victorian Precinct to the water-
front.
TRAIN RIDE
Oamaru Cycle Works
( 027 439 5331; 4 Wansbeck St; lesson & ride $20)
For a thoroughly Victorian-era thrill, take a ver-
tiginous ride on a penny farthing along Harbour St. Ask David the owner about his intrep-
CYCLING
