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WANAKA NEW ZEALAND WILDLIFE ENCOUNTERS

Encounters with rare and unusual wildlife are a special part of the New Zealand holiday experience. We have colonies of penguins, gannets and seals that are easily viewed from the beach, and offshore from Kaikoura there's a pod of bachelor sperm whales that entertains the whale watch boats almost every day. In Northland, a night walk in the kauri forest could provide a glimpse of the strange, flightless bird that has become our national symbol.

For some encounters you'll require a guide, but in many cases you can interact with our birds and animals as if it were the most natural thing in the world. And it is.

Penguins

These cute little creatures are bound to make you smile. In the sea they dive and swoop like other birds do in the air, and on land they march upright and waddle like officials in a parade. You'll find three species of penguin around New Zealand. The korora, or little blue penguin, is the world's smallest. Standing only 25 centimetres tall, and weighing just over a kilogram, it is found in coastal waters and often comes ashore at night. The Marlborough Sounds, Akaroa Harbour, Oamaru and Stewart Island are excellent places to see little blues. The rare hoiho, or yellow-eyed penguin, has a beautiful yellow eye band sweeping back from each yellow eye. You can find hoiho on the Otago Peninsula, just out of Dunedin, and along the South Otago Coast. The Fiordland crested penguin is one of the world's rarest. It is found in Fiordland and Stewart Island, in the deep south of the South Island. Antarctic king and gentoo penguins can be viewed at an aquarium and Antarctic attraction in Auckland.

Bird Watching

Whether you're an ardent 'twitcher' in search of rare species, or simply want to hear some melodious birdsong, New Zealand's fascinating bird population offers hours of entertainment. More than 80 types of seabird breed along our shores. Some migrate annually from the other side of the world and others are only found within New Zealand waters. Our native forests ring with birdsong and rare native species are thriving at open sanctuaries such as Tiritiri Matangi Island in Auckland's Hauraki Gulf, Kapiti Island close to Wellington and Motuara Island in the Marlborough Sounds. Gannets can be seen in their wild and windswept colonies at Cape Kidnappers near Napier, Muriwai Beach near Auckland and on Farewell Spit in the South Island. The kotuku (white heron) can be found in wetlands on the South Island's West Coast, while yellow-eyed penguins and a southern royal albatross colony can be seen on the Otago Peninsula. You can also see most of New Zealand native bird species in bird parks, reserves and zoos throughout the country.

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