Our hands-on approach to conservation sets us apart in the tourism world. The story of Ōamaru Penguins is driven by passionate people who have dedicated their time to protecting the little penguins.
In 1970, a rock quarry that had been in operation since 1880 shut down and was left abandoned. Never ones to miss out on a good opportunity, a growing population of little penguins quickly moved in – much to the frustration of the city’s leaders.
Throughout the 1980s, heated discussions arose over the penguins’ presence in the quarry. The Mayor at the time even wanted the little intruders removed and built fences in a (failed) effort to keep them out.
In the early 1990s, thanks to the efforts of passionate locals, the Council agreed to establish the site as a protected breeding area. During the summer of 1991/92, Dr Peter Dann, an expert from Phillip Island, came to help local Royal Forest and Bird Society members, Department of Conservation staff and other dedicated locals, to survey the area for the presence/abundance of penguins. The high population of penguins still residing in and around the quarry resulted in the establishment of the Ōamaru Blue Penguin Colony and one other control site.
Because of these dedicated individuals, Ōamaru Penguins continues to support the long-term conservation and research of this special native species, while offering visitors and locals a unique chance to connect with little penguins up close.
We’d be nothing without our dedicated staff! These friendly faces keep our colony running smoothly. Our team members take on a variety of roles, often supporting both the front-of-house operation and penguin work. They care for the colony and contribute to vital conservation and research while ensuring you have an unforgettable experience.
Cyndi is our General Manager - Operations and Commercial, she oversees all operational activities at the centre and drives the commercial side of the business, ensuring the penguin work is well supported by ticket sales.
Philippa, our General Manager - Science & Environmental, began working at the Colony in 2006, after completing a Master’s Degree in Marine Science. She developed a research programme in 2009 and used both long-term monitoring data and new foraging research, to complete her PhD. Philippa now drives the science carried out here. Other projects she has initiated have been the development of the rehabilitation facility, the construction of an underpass underneath Waterfront Road, our Bushy Beach Hoiho advocacy programme, and she has worked to improve protection for little penguins and other seabirds in Ōamaru generally.
Zoey is our conservation dog in training. When she grows up she will help us survey the coastline looking for penguins, to learn more about where they are and how many are around our wider region. She'll use her sense of smell to point them out to us, as little penguins like to stay well hidden.
Barb is a member of the guiding staff but also has a passion for enhancing and improving the penguins’ habitat, contributing her valuable knowledge to the team.
Beth spends much of her time working as a guide at the colony, but her focus is also working with Henry to carry out all of the penguin monitoring, rehab, predator control and research work. She has a Masters Degree in Marine Conservation and has been working on further enhancing our understanding of the penguins’ foraging behaviours.
Bethan looks after our maintenance, keeping the penguins' breeding area maintained by planting and caring for our native trees and ensuring the grounds and buildings are kept tidy and in good order.
Elaine works at the colony as a supervisor, supporting the day-to-day operations with Georgie. While she mainly works in the visitor experience side of the facility, is a bilingual guide and works on our customer service, she also supports the penguin monitoring, rehabilitation and habitat maintenance work.
Georgie is our Team Lead – Operations and has also been with us for a significant period of time, beginning her role in 2015. She manages the day-to-day operations at the centre, ensuring the day and evening activities flow smoothly, shifts are fully staffed and operate efficiently. She manages the retail shop, booking system and is one of our trade contacts, managing contracts with travel agents and inbound operators, representing the business at Trade and Marketing events.
Helen has a Masters degree in tourism and is one of our multi-lingual guides. She spends the majority of her time guiding, but also supports the marketing work, specifically helping with social media and attending trade events.
Henry is the Team Lead – Environmental, having completed his Master’s degree, investigating the penguins’ foraging behaviour at our two Ōamaru breeding colonies. His role involves managing the penguin monitoring, rehabilitation, habitat maintenance, predator trapping, and data management. He also oversees our education programme liaising with schools and other education groups who are interested in learning about the penguins.
Jasmine has a Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology, with an interest in conservation work. She is a member of the guiding team, but also supports Henry, working on education, delivering our education programme onsite or in schools and supports some of the conservation work.
Jude also has a full-time job elsewhere and works as a guide for us on nights or weekends. Jude brings great experience as a public speaker having been involved in and has a passion for musical theatre.
Kathryn is a part-time guide who has a passion for all things penguin. While she works elsewhere during the day as a graphic designer, she loves to share the world of the little penguins with our customers.
Suzanne also works as a supervisor, assisting in managing the day-to-day operations. She is another multilingual guide focusing on delivering an exceptional customer experience.
Ōamaru is 3½ hours drive south of Christchurch and 1½ hours north of Dunedin.
We’re only 5 minutes from the centre of town, in the south-east corner of the harbour, a few hundred metres passed Sumpter Wharf.
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