Blue Penguin Tunnel, Oamaru. South Is. New Zealand.
S 45° 06.580 E 170° 58.695
59G E 498289 N 5004866
A special tunnel underpass crossing has been built for the little Blue Penguins near the famous Blue Penguin Colony in Oamaru.
Waymark Code: WMZ2JF
Location: South Island, New Zealand
Date Posted: 08/31/2018
Views: 9
This special tunnel has recently been constructed to allow the Little Blue Penguins to cross beneath the road safely near the Penguin Colony at Oamaru. It may not be the most outstanding piece of architecture to look at, but to the penguins who use it, it's just the best thing that happened to them....their very own safe highway under the road!
Little blue penguins, or Kororas, are the world’s smallest penguins only growing to a foot tall. In the New Zealand town of Oamaru, they have traversed the same road along the city's waterfront each day, heading to the sea at first light and returning across the busy street at dusk. Despite efforts to steer the birds to safer areas, the penguins proved to be "very habitual" in their routes. The penguins have been forced to cross a busy waterside road to get from the sea to their nests after sunset in order to feed their chicks. At the boat ramp each evening during the summer, the penguins face crowds of people trying to get close to them and also traffic trying to use the same road. There were problems with the bright headlights from the cars often blinding the penguins when crossing the road, as well as the problems of people attempting to take pictures of the penguins, which get disturbed by the flashes from tourists’ cameras. But the problem has been solved... a decision was made to make things safer for the penguins by building an 80-foot-long underpass tunnel, a first for New Zealand.
The tunnel below the road is a first for New Zealand's little penguins and was originally conceived by marine biologist Philippa Agnew, a researcher at Oamaru's Blue Penguin Colony. The creation of an underpass for the penguins was backed by the Town Council and Oamaru’s local tourism body and the townspeople of this seaside town who were keen to protect their much-loved penguins.
The project took about three weeks, and involved moving power and water lines 80 feet so the tunnel could be placed in the penguins’ preferred spot for crossing the road. After construction was completed the penguins began using it almost immediately at night to avoid the traffic.
Viewing: The tunnel starts near the boat ramp at the given co-ords, on Waterfront Road, near the Penguin Colony. There are Penguin Crossing signs nearby. Please drive extremely carefully and do not park too close. Remember to check under your vehicles if you are parked, before driving off.
Website: (
visit link) Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony.