The 14th – 23rd of April is the Wild Dunedin Festival in Ōtepoti Dunedin! It is all about acknowledging, celebrating, and raising awareness of the wild and wonderful creatures we are privileged enough to share our backyard with.
This magnetic, inclusive festival came together in 2016, when Neil Harraway – co-owner of Monarch Wildlife Cruises and former filmmaker with NHNZ Worldwide, teamed up with Kerry Buchan – formerly with Orokonui Ecosanctuary, Norcombe Barker from Larnach Castle, the late Professor Phil Bishop – legendary amphibian conservationist from the University of Otago, Hoani Langsbury from Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou, and the Otago Peninsula Trust.
We are so privileged in Ōtepoti Dunedin to be able to encounter some of the rarest wildlife in the world – New Zealand sea lions/pakake, yellow-eyed penguins/hoiho, Fiordland crested penguin/tawaki, Northern royal albatross/toroa, takahē, kākā and the Southern brown kiwi/tokoeka, to name a few.
Stay tuned for my interview with Jason van Zanten from Penguin Place, and spotlights on two of the rarest penguins in the world – hoiho and tawaki!
Featured image: The fierce new mural by Bruce Mahalski based on a photo by Derek Morrison Photography.