Penguins in New Zealand/Wellington Zoo
Penguins in New Zealand?!
Yes there are penguins in New Zealand. Three species to be preceize. The Korora also called “little blue penguin” is the world’s smallest penguin. It got its name from its colour- blue with a white chest. It only gets 30cm tall, weighs around 1kg and can get 8–10 years old. Usually they come ashore at night and can be watched in places like the Marlborough Sounds, Oamaru or on the Stewart Island. It walks on land with a forward stoop.. The rare Hoiho also called “yellow-eyed penguin” can be found in the Catlins region and South of Dunedin. It is distinguished by its vivid yellow eye band where it got the name yellow eyed from. It is one of the biggest penguins in the temperate climate zone. The Hoiho hides his nest close to the shore. In the south at the beaches of Otago Peninsula started a programm to support the breeding of this rare yellow-eyed penguin. They are very shy animals which even stay away from their nest if they get a feeling of danger even if they have babys to feed. Predetors that haven’t been in New Zealand before were a reason for the shrinking population of those beautiful birds. The shrinking habitat caused environmentalists to found the Yellow-eyed Penuin Trust from 1987 to protect and safe areas where the penguins can breed. The third type of penguin is called Tawaki or “Fiordland Crested Penguin”. It lives on the South Island in the rainforest areas of Haast on Stewart Island and Fiordland. The most reliable place to find them is around Haast and Lake Moeraki. It is one of the world’s rarest penguins and its livestyle is unique among penguins because they choose to live deep beneath lush rainforest where they also build their nest. After mating the male incubates and takes care of the eggs untill they hatch. Penguin chicks grow very quickly in their first months and after two months they almost are as big as their parents. In the middle of December all tawaki leave shore and spend six months in the ocean. The number one threat tawakis face are domestic dogs.
Wellington Zoo
Wellington Zoo is New zealand’s first Zoo and could ld be described as a hillside conservation pradise with more than 500 native and exotic endangered animals. It is located in the south of the city around 10 minutes by car from Wellington central area. There is free parking and two bus lines are also going to the zoo. It is opened every day in the year except on the 25th of December. The entry fee for an adult is 23 NZ$ for a child 11 NZ$. The zoo opened in 1906 and gives their visitors the opportunity to look at sumatra-tigers, red pandas but also native animals like the kiwis and the tuataras. There also is a breeding station called “the Roost” for all kinds of birds. There is also an animal hospital called “the Nest” where they have places to do animal surgery. There are overhead walkways where the visitors can watch the vets do surgery and listen to live comments of the doctors. For the rare species in the zoo they built special compounds like the Asia Precinct which is the home for the Sumatra-Tigers of the zoo. For a little extra money it is possible to come very close to one of the deadliest animals in the zoo. In this “close encounters” the visitor can feed a lion, pet a gepard or get to know a meercat.
If one wants to take a break there are lots of opportunities to rest and have a picknick with self brought food. There are also many restaurants like the Moja Zoo where you can get pretty much anything from a coffee to a full meal. It pays to bring your own water bottle because there are only a few water fountains along the trails. Many playgrounds make it easy to keep little children busy when they get tired of looking at all the animals. There are also special ``talk times`` where the knowledgeable zoo staff can answer and explain difficult questions one might have.
The zoo offers a special Sleepover action where it is possible for a group of up to 80 people to spend the night in the Wellington Zoo to look behind the scenes after everyone else has gone home.
