Pohatu Penguins

After a 4WD van trip and stunning photo stops en route you will discover Pōhatu Marine reserve & the largest Little Penguin colony on mainland New Zealand. View the penguins returning to the bay in the wild, in a natural and undisturbed way. 

Take part in our monitoring program of nesting sites giving you great insight into their lives and an opportunity to see the birds up-close. Then, you will have the opportunity to spot the penguins undisturbed from our hides, socializing on the water with our binoculars and telescope and at dusk a very high likelihood of some returning to shore. Note that artificial lighting is not used as this is disturbing for the penguins.