Discover the world of Canterbury’s unique variant of Little Penguins: the White-Flippered Penguin. Pōhatu is the Largest Little Penguin colony on mainland New Zealand. Unique viewing in this undisturbed environment of penguins returning from sea. After a 4WD van trip and stunning photo stops en route you will discover Pōhatu Marine reserve & the largest Little Penguin colony on mainland New Zealand. View the penguins returning to the bay in the wild, in a natural and undisturbed way. Take part in our monitoring programme of nesting sites giving you great insight into their lives and an opportunity to see the birds up-close. Then, you will have the opportunity to spot the penguins undisturbed from our hides, socialising on the water with our binoculars and telescope and at dusk a very high likelihood of some returning to shore. Note that artificial lighting is not used as this is disturbing for the penguins. Join one of our tour and support 30+years of conservation effort. Business hours: 8am to 6pm, 7 Days. Months of operation: All months of the year