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It doesn’t race in any regattas, serve on a committee, or pay annual fees – but Nelson Yacht Club is determined to have its smallest member around for as long as possible.
After several years of sharing a premises, the oldest yacht club in New Zealand has finally managed to get photographic proof of the kororā – or little penguin – living under its floorboards.
According to club manager Tim-Fraser Harris, a recently installed motion-sensor camera captured a grainy image of the wee visitor beneath the floor of the building’s lower lounge area.
At just over 25 cm and weighing about 1 kg, the kororā is the world’s smallest penguin.
Though native to New Zealand, their numbers have been steadily declining in areas not protected from predators.
“We suspect they’ve been under there for years and there were even some sightings of them in the immediate aftermath of the devastation caused to the club by Cyclone Fehi in 2018,” Fraser-Harris said.
“We have heard them under the club’s kitchen, so much so that it has become known as the Penguins’ Nest.
“We’re not sure if they are actually nesting down there but it’s cool to finally be able to know for sure that they have stuck around since the cyclone.”
A motion-sensor camera captured this image of a kororā under the Nelson Yacht Club building. Photo / Supplied
Nelson Yacht Club recently received its two-star certification as part of Yachting New Zealand’s Clean Club programme and capturing an image of the bird was an important step to helping preserve the population in the area, Fraser-Harris said.
“As part of our progress toward becoming a YNZ Clean Club, we are committed to learning more about these animals we share our home with, and seeing what we can do to ensure that they stick around,” he said.
The club has also introduced a new pest-trapping programme, in conjunction with Nelson’s heritage waterfront venue The Boathouse and Nelson City Council’s Nelson Nature, to expand this programme through the potential introduction of nesting boxes and other measures.
