The young adult male Fiordland crested penguin, or tawaki, released from Oamaru earlier this month, has travelled about 500km in just over two weeks at sea. Two of the birds were taken into care at the Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony's rehabilitation centre after turning up on the North Otago coast to moult. ''For humans, we just see waves, but I suspect that penguins are able to perceive the slope in the sea surface,'' Dr Mattern said. ''To the left of Stewart Island it looks like a valley in the sea floor. ''So, of course, if they have to go the other way, they would have to swim against the current, which clearly our two Oamaru birds haven't done.

Source: Otago Daily Times March 26, 2019 15:22 UTC