New Zealand - pt3 - Penguins

These cute little guys are the Hoiho (the Maori term for the Yellow-Eyed Penguin, depicted on the back of the New Zealand five dollar bill). These are a particularly rare breed of penguin, a fact not aided by their low breeding numbers, loss of habitat, and their strong desire for isolation (even from each other!). "The Penguin Place" is a reserve set up (partially on a sheep farm) to help protect the Hoiho. We visited during moulting season, which gave us a chance to see some of the mating pairs helping each other by plucking out old feathers. It was all very very cute!











Tomorrow: Taeiri Gorge Railway.