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Alex Hallatt

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Living in New Zealand: Little Blue (Don't Call Them Fairy) Penguins

November 26, 2018

The biggest tourist attraction in Oamaru is the little blue penguin colony at the end of Friendly Bay, but you find little penguins all around New Zealand. NZ has three types of penguin. The yellow-eyed penguin/hoiho (endangered, with numbers crashing, possibly due to fishing activities), the Fiordland crested penguin/tawaki and this little penguin/kororā.

I used to volunteer as a penguin guide at the breakwater in St Kilda when I lived in Melbourne, so I saw plenty of little penguins there too. I still have a scar on my lip as a souvenir of an up close and personal encounter (when I was holding a penguin for the penguin researchers to measure). So I wasn't prepared to pay to go and see the penguins in Oamaru, but since I knew the type of place penguins like to nest, I walked to the beach in the evening and found plenty wandering around.

In New Zealand Diary, Living in NZ Tags New Zealand, NZ, cartoon, little blue penguins, blue penguins, oamaru, penguin parade, oamaru penguins
← Living in New Zealand: What is There to Do in Oamaru?Reasons to Be Cheerful - First Broad Beans of the Season →

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Inspired by the book, Deep Work by Cal Newport (I’m inking while listening to the audiobook. Oops. I think that may be against the idea of the book…), I’m taking a social media break for the month of February. Read more at alexhallatt.com.
It's lucky I'm trying not to eat sugar right now, because on days like this I really miss the Empire. 
#EmpireHotel #icecream #heatwave #NewZealandDiary #NewZealand #NZ #Aotearoa #SouthIsland #Canterbury #Christchurch #Lyttelton #BanksPeninsula #illustratorsofinstagram #illustratorsoninstagram #cartoon
It's looking very dry around the Port Hills. 
#NewZealandDiary #NewZealand #NZ #Aotearoa #SouthIsland #Canterbury #Christchurch #Lyttelton #BanksPeninsula #PortHills #FireDanger #safetysign  #illustratorsofinstagram #illustratorsoninstagram #cartoon
Pinchos assemble! #pintxo #pincho  #pinchoparty #BasqueDiary  #Basque
Making Gildas for tomorrow's #pincho party.  #BasqueDiary  #Basque #pintxo
I've had contents insurance for years and (fortunately) never had to make a claim until now. #AMI #Insurance #ReasonsToBeCheerful #illustratorsofinstagram #illustratorsoninstagram #cartoon
Oh, Herbertville, I had high hopes for you.
#herbertville 
#windy
#bleak
#boatieheaven
#NewZealandDiary #NewZealand #NZ #Aotearoa
Happy Birthday to the boyf. #LandRoverSeries3
  • Alex Hallatt
    I've had contents insurance for years and (fortunately) never had to make a claim until now. But it was a big one.… https://t.co/oGTrDy5HCh
    about 2 weeks ago
  • Alex Hallatt
    Feilding, New Zealand is a perfectly nice town. Half of it seems to close down around Christmas and the rest of it… https://t.co/gX8n3xldfc
    about 2 weeks ago
  • Alex Hallatt
    Inspired by the book, Deep Work by Cal Newport (I’m inking while listening to the audiobook. Oops. I think that may… https://t.co/v3qWmhVVuK
    about 2 weeks ago

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