Editor, freelance writer, recipe developer, food stylist, syndicated columnist, consultant to the food industry.

WILD SOUTH

Jan Bilton visits a unique Otago attraction.

I was lucky enough to enjoy my university years in Dunedin doing what a girl 'ought to'. In those days, 'wild life' referred to the weekend activities of students between 8pm and dawn.

The culture lives on. But today Dunedin is also the stepping stone to one of New Zealand's most appealing real wild life attractions. The northern tip of the Otago Peninsula is home to the rare yellow-eyed penguin, albatross, fur seals, three varieties of shag, oystercatchers, white-faced herons, black swans plus more. And on a recent visit I caught up with them all by taking a Monarch bus and boat tour.

Our 45-minute drive along the highlands of the Peninsular to the penguin reserve  — Penguin Place — near Wellers Rock is impressive. The steep terrain with its windswept tundra tumbles into the harbour on one side, and on the other — gouged dramatically with golden sandhills — it dips into the booming surf.

We climb into smaller vehicles that take us to the entrance to Penguin Place. Donning sturdy walking shoes and windbreakers we descend on foot to what looks like a series of camouflage army trenches.

Unique experience
The reserve — generously made available by farm owner Howard McGrouther and run in conjunction with the yellow-eyed Penguin Trust — is a conservation effort to save the world's most endangered penguin from extinction. A unique system of trenches and bunkers have been dug so we literally come 'eyeball to eyeball' with a penguin waddling freely on the outside while we silently make our way to the last bunker.

We are overcome with the sheer beauty of the birds, even though, because it was moulting season, some did not sport their best attire.

The penguin gained its name from its amazing yellow iris and distinctive yellow headband. Grey/blue in colour with snow-white bellies, the average yellow-eyed penguin stands about 65cm tall and weighs five to six kilograms.

The Maori name of 'hoiho' meaning 'noise shouter', refers to its shrill call — you can often hear the penguins before you see them. About 70 penguins (of the 4500 worldwide) inhabit the Otago Peninsula reserve — considerably more than 10 years ago.

When the cameras had stop clicking and rolling, we make our way up the embankment for our return journey to Weller's Rock to board the Monarch for a short trip to Taiaroa Head, the only mainland breeding place in the world for the royal albatross.

On the way we enjoy an unusual sight — a fur seal rolling in the sand enjoying the late afternoon sun. Fur seals normally inhabit the rocks at the extreme end of the peninsula and on the way we glide past thousands of spotted shags clinging to steep cliffs — the top of which is home to the royal albatross colony. A few take to the air to show off their wingspan. Hint: it doesn't pay to look up when an albatross flies directly overhead — you be the beneficiary of a litre of compost eyewash.

The sea is calm but the swell grows as we pass Taiaroa Head to admire the 156-year-old lighthouse. Underneath the peace of the nature reserve lie the tunnels of Fort Taiaroa established in 1850 to counter the threat of invasion from Tsarist Russia. It was armed again in both World Wars 1 and 11.

The swell begins to affect our ability to stay upright so the captain turns back to gently cruise our way back up the Otago Harbour to Dunedin. On the way, we admire the little blue penguins and oystercatchers as we sip on glasses of red to ward off the chill — a perfect end to a perfect afternoon.

For more information on tours contact Monarch Wildlife Cruises, Dunedin, ph (03) 477 4276 or visit www.wildlife.co.nz
Image yellowed-eyed penguin courtesy of istockimage.com

Sponsorship
• Donations to the Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust can be made at www.fundraiseonline.co.nz