Making a 2000-kilometre swim from their Sub-Antarctic Convergence summer feeding grounds, the Tawaki, (Fiordland Crested Penguins) have once again reached the coastal forests of Lake Moeraki on the West Coast for their annual breeding season.
“Since 1989, when we opened Wilderness Lodge Lake Moeraki, each year at the beginning of July we have welcomed Tawaki returning to the Lake Moeraki coastal forests to start their five-month breeding season,” says Wilderness Lodge Lake Moerak operator Dr Gerry McSweeny.
Tawaki undertake a remarkable journey, swimming a total of nearly 10,000km over a six-month period, according to satellite tracking studies by the Tawaki Project.
They are the third rarest of the world’s 18 penguin species – with an estimated 2500-3000 breeding pairs. Standing 60cm tall and weighing approximately 4kg, these rare penguins hold the distinction of being the only species that breeds in a temperate rainforest. During the breeding season, 10 per cent of Tawaki are found around Wilderness Lodge Lake Moeraki on the West Coast.
“It is so exciting for us to see them meet their mate after an absence in the wildest oceans on earth where they are apart for six months or more. They don’t show much excitement and just stand facing each other occasionally mutually grooming and beak touching,” says Dr McSweeny.
The Wilderness Lodge, in partnership with the Department of Conservation, the West Coast Penguin Trust, and the Tawaki Project, has been monitoring the penguins’ breeding activities. Conservation efforts have proven fruitful, as penguin numbers have nearly tripled over the 33-year study period, according to Dr McSweeny.
Dr. McSweeny emphasised the success of recent years.
“2022 was a very good breeding season at our Tawaki monitor nest sites. Numbers of penguins were slightly down on the 2021 penguin season, but in both 2021 and 2022 we recorded more penguins than in the previous 30 years of our monitoring work. This is great news for Tawaki penguin conservation.“
Under a special license from DOC, the Wilderness Lodge offers daily guided penguin trips, providing guests with the opportunity to witness these rare penguins in their natural habitat. “From September 11, 2023, onwards you can join us to look at the penguins on the beaches from our Open Hide.”
The guided penguin trips are carefully managed to avoid disturbance with small groups sitting quietly and discreetly while penguins come and go naturally across the beach.
