Tavora Reserve

Penguin habitat and forest regeneration in coastal Otago

This is the second in my series exploring the species featured in my 2024 calendar, Wildlife of East Otago.

February’s bird is the pīwakawaka (fantail) who I wrote about recently. So for today’s post, I will focus on the location this photo was taken: Tavora Reserve.

South Island NZ fantail (Rhipidura f. fuliginosa, endemic) in regenerating forest at Tavora Reserve.

Tavora Reserve is a 40-hectare section of grazing and coastal land bought by the Yellow-Eyed Penguin Trust (YEPT) back in 1993. Located in Goodwood, East Otago, it would make a nice day trip from Ōtepoti/Dunedin, with cafes in nearby Palmerston or Waikouaiti to stop by on the way home.

It’s a penguin-first reserve, with no beach access after 3pm because hoiho (yellow-eyed penguins) won’t come ashore if they can see humans around. Hoiho are incredibly vulnerable to human disturbance and unregulated tourism is proven to reduce breeding success.¹ To address this, the whole reserve is closed to the public from November through to the end of February for the breeding season: hoiho are already critically endangered, and continuing to decline².

Stream with native planting leading through Tavora Reserve.

Prior to YEPT’s ownership, the land was intensively farmed and, alongside volunteers, they’re continuing to put in the mahi (work) to make this reserve a place where hoiho can thrive.🐧 From Bobby’s Head Road, there’s a track flanked by riparian planting following a stream. We saw pīwakawaka, riroriro (grey warbler), and tauhou (silvereyes) around here.

The track then opens out to picturesque wetland. As well as looking after the hoiho, YEPT are fostering the space to support other native flora and fauna. According to the Otago Regional Council, coastal lagoons like this are “rare ecosystems in Otago and nationally”³. We saw kahu (swamp harrier) hunting here, and heard the conspicuous calls of pūtakitaki (paradise shelduck), but it can also be feeding grounds for kōtuku (white herons).

Coastal lagoon wetland habitat at Tavora Reserve.

You can continue down the path to the beach, the dunes planted with natives to replace the marram grass, which lowers the dune height and improves biodiversity.⁴ I’ve seen kekeno (New Zealand fur seals) here before, and often see tōrea pango (oystercatchers) by the water’s edge, with warou (welcome swallows) sweeping low above the sand’s surface.

Dune habitat at Tavora Reserve, with a sign to discourage disturbance from visitors.

The main recreational feature is the hour-long track, which can be walked as a loop with the last section along the road. The track zig-zags up the hill with moderate forest cover, opening up to panoramic views of the coast, and north to the volcanic landscape including Puketapu, all part of the Dunedin Volcanic Group.⁵

Here, the pīwakawaka thrive. The regenerating ngāhere (forest) means there’s plenty of invertebrates for them to eat. Traps for the usual predators - rats, ferrets, possums etc. - are dotted throughout the reserve making for safe nesting.

Predator trap at Tavora Reserve.

So if you’re ever in Otago, consider a visit to Tavora Reserve to enjoy a walk in this fantastic example of regeneration for forest, wetland, coast, and river (remember it’s closed from November-February, though). Visit the Yellow-Eyed Penguin Trust’s website for more information.

Have a lovely day,

Zenobia x

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You might also like:

1. https://nzbirdsonline.org.nz/species/yellow-eyed-penguin

2. https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/penguin-numbers-continue-fall

3. https://www.orc.govt.nz/managing-our-environment/water/wetlands-and-estuaries/waitaki-district/tavora-wetland

4. https://www.weedbusters.org.nz/what-are-weeds/weed-list/marram-grass/

5. https://www.whitestonegeopark.nz/puketapu