See Tawaki Penguins August 1 - December 10 only

TAWAKI (FIORDLAND CRESTED) PENGUIN

August 1 to December 10 is the penguin viewing season at Wildernesss  Lodge Lake Moeraki

Occasionally you will see penguins outside these months when they come ashore to moult - January to March.

Would you like to see New Zealand's rarest penguin in the wild?

You don't have to go to Antarctica to see large crested penguins, perhaps the showiest group of the world's 17 species of penguins. The commonest species of crested penguins, all found in or near Antarctica, are the Macaroni (12 million pairs), Rockhopper (3.7 million pairs) and Royal (850,000 pairs). These can only be seen after you make a very difficult journey to some of the most remote places on Earth.

Only in the South West corner of the South Island, particularly along the Lake Moeraki coastline, can you see Tawaki/Fiordland Crested penguin, probably the rarest penguin in the world. Between July and December 10th these penguins nest in dense coastal rainforest. Their world population is estimated at only 2,000 pairs with around 10% of these found on the Lake Moeraki coastline. 

Tawaki Penguin Discovery trips from the Wilderness Lodge.

On your own at Monro Beach, a 25 minute walk from Wilderness Lodge Lake Moeraki, or guided by Wilderness Lodge guides to several secret, protected sites, you can watch these delightful birds cross the beach from the Tasman Sea to their rainforest breeding areas. Under our special Conservation Department guiding licence, since 1989 we have offered guided trips every day in the season to view these penguins. On our trips you will view and photograph small numbers of this very special bird that stands up to 70cm or nearly 2-3 ft high.

Viewing Tawaki on our wilderness beaches is a very different experience to viewing penguins in a zoo or on TV. This is their realm. We do everything possible not to disturb these birds. We are helping to protect these delightful birds by patrolling the penguin colonies to make sure people do not take in dogs that can kill these vulnerable birds. The colonies are now legally protected as the Whakapohai Wildlife Refuge after a conservation campaign led by Wilderness Lodge Lake Moeraki.

To see the penguins and stay at the Wilderness Lodge email lakemoeraki@wildernesslodge.co.nz