BLUE PENGUINS PUKEKURA-FREE TOUR FOR FIRST RESPONDERS!
This free tour is designed to say thanks to all First Responders.
If your work (paid or voluntary) involves saving lives, you and a friend may be eligible for a free BLUE PENGUINS PUKEKURA EXPERIENCE TOUR.
At Blue Penguins Pukekura, we believe there's not enough recognition or thanks for the work some people do, particular for those who we think are the true heroes of our communities; those people that deal with saving lives.
Their jobs are often incredibly stressful and at Blue Penguins Pukekura, we recognize that, and provide a free evening tour, as a way of saying “thank you”.
ABOUT US
The Pukekura Trust (trading as Blue Penguins Pukekura) is committed to looking after the reserve where we operate our Blue Penguins Pukekura tours. We are committed to enhancing this reserve, to restore a coastal forest, to ensure this historical site is protected, all while we also look after all the amazing wildlife (including penguins) that reside within this reserve.
The Pukekura Trust is solely reliant on funds generated by our Blue Penguins Pukekura Tours to be able to do this work. As a Charitable Trust, we also recognize that there are many people that do amazing work looking after people within our community and these people often don’t get enough thanks for the work they do.
ABOUT OUR OFFER:
At Blue Penguins Pukekura we have 2 free spaces available every night on our BLUE PENGUINS PUKEKURA EXPERIENCE. It’s our way of saying thank you to the true heroes of our community, to those people whose work (paid or voluntary) directly involves saving lives and it is their work that makes such a huge difference to others.
To be eligible, one of the two people on the booking must work (either paid or voluntary) in New Zealand and their work must primarily be centered around emergency care of people (examples are all First Responders, such as Doctors, Nurses, Ambulance staff, Police, Fire Service, Emergency Call Centre staff, Search & Rescue or Coastguard). This is no requirement for the second person on the booking to work in emergency care or as a First Responder.
You will need to provide unrefutably proof of your work in New Zealand (such as bringing your ID card along on the night). If your organisation doesn’t provide ID cards, then please email us to discuss other ways of providing evidence that you are eligible for this free tour. If you are unsure, please email us to check eligibility.
Note failure to provide sufficient evidence required to qualify for this free tour will result in the cancellation of your booking.
There are just two free tickets available each night, if you have more than two people in your party, all others in your party will need to book and pay separately.
ABOUT THE TOUR:
Discover Kororā, the Little Blue Penguin, the world's smallest penguin. At dusk, enjoy close up viewing of little penguins returning from a day at sea within the Takiharuru Pilots Beach nature reserve. Watch penguins just a few metres from us as they scurry up the beach to their cliff-face burrows, often stopping just metres from us, allowing for awesome viewing and photography of these birds in their natural habitat.
Learn about the flora and fauna of the area. Learn about our endemic plants, their use by early Māori, and see the restoration work of the habitat that benefits penguins and other wildlife.
On tour, we regularly see seals, sea lions on the beach and often see other seabirds such as albatross flying overhead.
Blue Penguins Pukekura tours are hosted by local expert wildlife guides who share the rich cultural history of the area while also sharing biological knowledge of endemic flora and fauna.
The tour starts from within the royal albatross centre situated at the end of the Otago Peninsula at Taiaroa Head.
In the centre, hear local stories and understand how the plentiful resources, the shape and position of this headland led to the area's use by different iwi (tribes) over many centuries.
Weather permitting, we will take a quick, ''behind the scenes'' look at the reserve Be guided to areas not available to the general public. See where the birds live, understand the habits of the penguins and admire the efforts of the whanau (local families) in their care of the land and the wildlife inhabitants. This is a new opportunity for 2022, added into the tours so guests get a better understanding of the penguins' habitat and the significance of the area to local Māori.
The beach we visit to view the penguins is owned by local Māori, we spend time learning about their dedication to the preservation of the area and the wildlife inhabitants throughout this one-and-a-half-hour guided tour.
This small beach (Takiharuru) has a population of over 200 breeding pairs of kororā/little penguins. It is now the largest blue penguin colony on the Otago Peninsula.
Then just before sunset, we move back onto our purpose-built platform to watch and wait for the first birds to return from sea.
Penguin arrival time does vary from night to night and we highly recommend our guests come prepared by wearing extra layers of clothing. It often gets cold when the sun goes down and we can't stress this enough, for your enjoyment, wearing extra layers of clothes will go a long way to making this one of your most memorable experiences.
Viewing of the Little Blue Penguins is guaranteed, and this is an attraction and an experience not to be missed when visiting Dunedin, NZ's wildlife capital.
Blue Penguins Pukekura is a joint venture between the Korako Karetai Trust and the Otago Peninsula Trust who agreed to establish an accord to manage the environmental, historical and amenity values of the area known as Takiharuru/Pilots Beach at Pukekura/Taiaroa Head.
It's the mission of Blue Penguins Pukekura to ensuring the protection of the land and increase the diversity of wildlife in this nature reserve while also ensuring visitors experience one of nature’s marvels, often described as an experience of a lifetime.
Note: ****The albatross centre is the starting point for the penguin tour. The centre is open just 30 minutes prior to the tour start time****
Please check in before the start time.
Photography is allowed but no flash photography is permitted.
START YOUR
BOOKING HERE
