If you're a newbie to Oamaru, on arrival you will soon realise it is obsessed by penguins.
The souvenir shops are packed to the gunwhales with penguin memorabilia. Penguin statues, coasters, T-shirts, postage stamps, wall plates ... you name it. The bars sell penguin cocktails and the takeaway outlets purport to
offer Penguin burgers.
But the penguin mania is well-founded as Oamaru boasts the most enchanting colony of little blue penguins right on its front door.
Located on the foreshore, adjacent to the Harbour-Tyne Precinct, the eco-tourism attraction has been sympathetically developed in the past 15 years, not only to enhance the visitor experience but also to improve the care and protection of our flippered friends.
The colony has become a fully fledged international tourist drawcard and, every night, hundreds - if not thousands - of visitors flock to the foreshore to watch the nightly parade of penguins waddling home to their nests after spending all day at sea.
The numbers vary throughout the year, as does the parade timing.
As a general rule of thumb, the penguins will come ashore just before dark.
So through August and September, the nightly spectacle takes place about 6.30pm.
However, through December and January, the longer days push the nightly show back to about the 9.30pm mark.
The visitor centre features a range of engaging exhibits and, during the day, you can arrange a behind-the-scenes conservation tour and see the chicks' nesting boxes. www.penguins.co.nz
