Well, I just finished a relaxing three days in the Dunedin/Otago Penisula area(southeast of south island), where I slept, ate well (both helping with recovery from the long hike on Stewart Island) and checking out lots of Yellow-eyed and Blue penguins.

This penguin reserve - called Penguin Place - was established 14 or 20 years ago (I don't remember which) by a wool grower who loves penguins, and figured he could help with their conservation through a classic eco-tourism model. Since penguins need cover for protection of them and their nests, and since so much of the native coastal forest in New Zealand has been cut down to make pasture land for sheep, these yellow-eyed penguins are in endangered (and thus the second rarest penguin species there is).

So this fella, who I had the opportunity to talk with for about ten minutes (and his love of the birds and commitment to the reserve is very genuine), decided to start showing people the penguins on his property, and use the money to help restore some of forest on his coastline property, conduct research, etc. Because it's all on private land, he doesn't need to deal with the NZ Department of Conservation, which he is grateful for (sound familiar?). So, he does as he pleases with his program, and all of the staff I spoke with (as off the record as I could get them) spoke very highly of his commitment and conservation ethic. He also said he is trying to get other woolgrowers to do the same, while not wanting to be preachy about it. Seems some others may be gaining an interest in at least helping the penguins, if not starting some sort of reserve up themselves. In all, it seemed to me (an often sceptic of such things) like a genuine project with good success - maybe another sign of me being like wine, and mellowing with age.

It brings a smile to my face to think about the little critters landing on shore, and waddling up the beach to the grass for the evening. I hope these pictures do the same for you.