Previous posts
Browse our collection of previous posts.
January 25th, 2012
James & Emily Chisnall show off their penguin house
Sections are running hot at Penguinville with over 25 groups of children building a penguin “house” in the first three days.
Penguinville is part of the Driftwood and Sand Sculpture Festival. Children build a penguin house on their own beach section with prizes being awarded on Sunday for Most Natural, Best Construction, and Most Creative.
Read more
January 25th, 2012
Mens t-shirt
The Trust has t-shirts in all sizes (including childrens) for sale. Contact info@bluepenguin.org.nz if you wish to purchase. $25
January 22nd, 2012
Geoff and Jock setting up Penguinville on Sunday
As part of Driftwood and Sand Sculpture Festival and Trust is running Penguinville at Hokitika Beach from Monday 23 to Sunday 29 January. Penguinville is a chance for the kids to build a penguin house and learn about blue penguins habitat. $2 for your own section at Penguinville, prizes for the best construction, most natural and most creative penguin houses will be awarded on Sunday at 2pm.
January 17th, 2012
Ranger Reuben talks to the Greymouth Scouts
In December ranger Reuben Lane spent some time with the Greymouth Scouts at the beach teaching them about blue penguins and their habitat. The trust is happy to talk to groups and school children about penguin conservation. If you wish to arrange a talk contact the co-ordinator on info@bluepenguin.org.nz
December 13th, 2011
Reuben puts up the speaker
A sound-system broadcasting blue penguin and sooty shearwater calls has been erected near Cape Foulwind to attract more of the seabirds to the area.
Read more
December 9th, 2011
Ian Davidson Watts & Jo Halley watch Sky find a burrow
The West Coast Blue Penguin Trust and DOC have successfully used a Kiwi dog to help sniff out blue penguins at Cobden, near Greymouth.
The Trust is working with the Grey District Council to establish whether blue penguins are breeding in the area of the northern breakwater ecological project.
December 2nd, 2011
Inger Perkins
The Trust is delighted that Inger Perkins has agreed to become a Trustee, replacing Rebecca Gibson who has moved to Great Barrier Island. Inger works at DOC in Hokitika and has been a long-time supporter of the Trust and its work.
October 18th, 2011
A census volunteer on the beach at Ruatapu
The 2011 census results can now be found on the website. Refer to the research page or
http://www.bluepenguin.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/Census-results-2011.pdf
September 29th, 2011
Rebecca and Shelley Hersey with LEARNZ mascots
A potential audience of 120 thousand school children was focussed on West Coast blue penguins in late September.
Teachers and support staff from LEARNZ joined DOC, and Rebecca Gibson Helene Roehl from the West Coast Blue Penguin Trust to bring to life blue penguins and seals for children from throughout New Zealand.
September 26th, 2011
Scouts planting at Hokitika Beach
The Scouts, Penguin Trust and local volunteers were back in action on September 20 doing further planting as part of the Hokitika Blue Penguin Habitat Restoration Project. The plan is to restore penguin nesting habitat over time.
Thanks to funding from the West Coast Community Trust, Honda Tree fund and Forest and Bird planting is well underway.
September 7th, 2011
Kerry-Jayne and Helene at the site
The project which will see public viewing of Blue Penguins and Sooty Shearwaters at Cape Foulwind has taken its first step.
Last month Solid Energy committed to funding the project for the next two years. Trust chair woman Kerry-Jayne Wilson and temporary ranger Helene Roehl have now put the first penguin nesting boxes and new predator traps in.
August 17th, 2011
Brooke & Krista Noble and their grandad Peter Cudmore at Hokitika beach
Over 80 West Coasters took to the beaches between the 13th and 16th of August as part of the annual West Coast Blue Penguin Trust census.
Hardy Coaster’s braved the early morning chill to count blue penguin prints on beaches from Karamea to Haast. Final results are still a month away but many volunteers did mention that they saw a lot of dog prints around the penguin prints which is worrying.
August 15th, 2011
Guides at Cobden beach
On Wednesday 10 August Trustee Ian Davidson-Wattts and co-ordinator Robyn Janes spent time with the Greymouth girl guides. After a talk about penguins everyone went down to Cobden beach to listen and look for blue penguins coming in. Sadly none were seen or heard but we will continue to check as part of the Northern breakwater ecological project.
August 2nd, 2011
Photo taken by ranger Reuben Lane
The annual blue penguin census will take place this year between the 13th and 16th of August.
These dates have been picked because low tides will range from 4.20am to 6.10am meaning volunteers don’t have to get up too early to look for signs of blue penguins on the beach. Breeding will be in full swing at this time.
Volunteers are asked to walk sections of the beach early in the morning to count penguin prints. While not scientific it provides valuable information about trends in penguin numbers. At last years census the Scouts found evidence of penguins north of Hokitika, which has resulted in a the habitat restoration project.
July 8th, 2011
Kiwi dog sky hunts for penguins
DOC and the Penguin Trust have taken the unusual step of using a Kiwi dog to sniff out penguins. Kiwi dog Sky was put into action on Wednesday 7 July. The first step involved her being taken to some known penguin burrows to make sure she knew what to sniff for. Next week she’ll be taken to the Cobden breakwater area to see if she can find penguin burrows there.
June 15th, 2011
Trustee Rebecca Gibson is filmed for the awards night
The West Coast Blue Penguin Trust is delighted to be a finalist in the West Coast Leading Light Business Excellence Awards. The Trust has made the top three in the Community / Charity Organisation category.
Trustee Rebecca Gibson says it is an honour to have been chosen.
“It is a wonderful achievement for the Trust and shows we are seen as a serious and effective conservation body on the Coast,” she says.
Award winners will be announced at a function on the 8th of July.
June 13th, 2011
Kerry-Jayne Wilson presented a paper to the Ornithological Society in early June. The paper looked at breeding success in colonies with and without predator control and was the result of three years monitoring at Charleston and two years monitoring in South Westland. Surprisingly results showed traffic and dogs are more of a threat to blue penguins than stoats on the West Coast.
Check out the research section of the website to read an abstract of the research paper.
June 7th, 2011
Dead penguins found on beach a few years ago
There has been a disappointing start to the penguin breeding season with three penguins found dead within a few weeks.
Two of the penguins had been killed by dogs and another by a vehicle on the Coast Road.
May 31st, 2011
Co-ordinator Robyn Janes talks to Grey Main School children
The Trust is always keen to talk to schools about the blue penguin. Contact info@bluepenguin.org.nz if you interested in arranging a visit.
May 4th, 2011
Reuben Lane and Jill Cotton talk to children from Haast school
Members of the trust have been travelling from one end of the Coast to the other spreading the word about blue penguins, other seabirds and the latest trapping techniques.
Trust ranger Reuben Lane and member Jill Cotton are seen here at Haast school. Read more
April 11th, 2011
Karen Mayhew and scouts in the planting area
In April the West Coast Blue Penguin Trust, Hokitika Scouts and a few locals began restoring penguin nesting habitat on Hokitika Beach.
The group planted about 60 flax and cabbage trees between two areas where penguins are already nesting in limited patches of coastal scrub including blackberry and gorse.
April 6th, 2011
From the 30th of April to the 4th of May the Blue Penguin Trust goes on the road providing information about blue penguins and other seabirds, and updating locals on new predator trapping techniques.
The roadshow will visit Hokitika. Reap Hall on 30 April, Franz Josef Glacier’s DOC office on 1 May, Haast’s DOC office on 2 May, Hector community hall on 4 May
March 29th, 2011
On March the 22nd Kerry-Jayne Wilson ran a presentation on blue penguins for Greymouth District Council staff. The presentation was designed to update staff who deal with resource management applications. After the presentation the group travelled to a Greymouth beach to view penguin burrows.
February 9th, 2011
Trustee Rebecca Gibson and DOCs Inger Perkins put up a sign at the access to Hokitika beach. The “Don’t let your dog run wild” signs have been printed by the West Coast Blue Penguin Trust and are now displayed at beach hot spots along the Coast.
January 24th, 2011
Holcim Environmental Advisor Ben Murray (left) and Sustainability Manager Greg Slaughter (right) view penguin burrows at Cape Foulwind in January with Trust Chair Kerry-Jayne Wilson. Without support from sponsors like Holcim the West Coast Blue Penguin Trust would not survive.
January 24th, 2011
Little blue penguins on the West Coast of the South Island appear to be surviving La Nina weather conditions, unlike penguins on the East Coast which are reportedly dying in their hundreds.
December 24th, 2010
Photo by Doug Baker
December means most young penguins have fledged and left the protection of their parents to make their way in the world. These chicks, photographed by Doug Baker at Camerons, south of Greymouth, are about four days old. Chicks are guarded by their parents usually for 20-30 days. They fledge between 48-63 days.
December 21st, 2010
The latest census results are available now
Check out the research page
November 30th, 2010
West Coast Blue Penguin Trust ranger Reuben Lane has observed the first recorded case of replacement clutching on the West Coast. Read more
November 16th, 2010
Jim Mora and the TVNZ6 crew filming penguin prints near Hokitika.
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