I have a picture of myself at about six months old in a wash tub at little Waihi beach. It is Christmas. I have another picture of a slightly older me with my brothers in a cow trough which doubled for a spa pool at the same beach. As soon as we became more mobile our holidays went bush. So my childhood memories of family holidays are a mixture of oceans and forests. Nowadays I find that if I return to similar environments I tend to relax and unwind. Like water quenching a thirst I didn’t know I had.
Wood and water would be common holiday memory triggers for a
large majority of New Zealand adults brought up in the 60’s and 70’s. Beaches
and forests were the cheap and cheerful places of choice for the Christmas break.
This is back before the proximity to a mall, connectivity to the internet and
lack of cellphone coverage had any bearing on a holiday destination.
Blue penguins are not unlike us in many ways when it comes
to their summer vacations. They return to the same bay, same beach, even the
same nesting box year after year. Often with the same partner (but not always).
The older more established residents own the prime waterfront locations. The
younger ones are forced to set up camp further up the hillside. Better views
but further to walk.
Blue penguins are social by day but private at night. In the
late afternoon they join up in rafts, floating out in the bay. I image they are
exchanging fishy tales. Humans do something very similar. Gathering around a
selected caravan, beer in hand, exchanging tall tales about the fish that got
away. Then just before dark/dinner time they torpedo into shore, hop up onto
the rocks and waddle home to the partner smelling decidedly fishy/beery.
Penguins spend the spring/summer at their holiday homes producing and rearing the next generation. Not unlike humans, think about it, when is the peak of birthdays in New Zealand, September. Pohatu, on the eastern side of banks peninsula, is a place fixed in the penguin memory banks. They have found a sheltered haven here for generations. The name Pohatu roughly translates to the use of sun soaked rocks to warm up the kumara pits. The warmth seems to suit the penguins too.
In a way Akaroa, on the inside of banks peninsula, mirrors
the penguin colony at Pohatu. Nesting boxes stack up the hillside. The older
more established families on the waterfront. The nouveau residents in the newer
boxes behind. Sometimes an older box beside the waterfront becomes vacant and
it is quickly snapped up by a keen eyed individual or more likely someone with
the right family connections.
For me the charm of Akaroa is the familiarity of wood
(Hinewai) and water. I love its quaintness, the late afternoon sun and I most
definitely appreciate the fine cuisine.
Penguins come to Pohatu because they always have. The food
is good and the locals friendly. The Helps, Shireen and Francis are everything
a penguin could hope for in a camp ground caretaker. They keep the camp
maintained, funded, build new facilities, care for the delicate souls and chase
away the pests. They even cater for the lucky few humans that wish to soak up a
bit of the Pohatu sunshine, unwind to the sound of the lapping waves, the babbling
brook, whoosing wood pigeons and tuneful bellbirds. During the evening the
sounds of nature continues. If you are light sleeper don’t forget your
earplugs. Blue penguins like humans can be noisy neighbours.
Perhaps I’ll take my grand-nieces out there for a summer
holiday. I am sure I saw an outdoor bath, the bush reserve is only a quick
stroll away and then we can head back to Akaroa for some lovely fish and fudge.
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