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This is a family-run conservation operation on Banks Peninsula that has been quietly doing remarkable work for over 30 years. The largest White-flippered penguin colony on mainland NZ lives on their land, and the colony is actually growing, which tells you something. Use promo code RANKERS for 10% off while you're at it.

The evening penguin tour is the centrepiece. You'll get to see the little penguins tucked up in their nest boxes, roofs lifted so you can peek in, binoculars provided to spot groups waiting offshore for dark to fall. The guides are completely focused on the birds first, which means some evenings you won't see them come ashore as your presence would spook them. That's not a complaint, that's the point of the place.

If you can do the overnight or multi-day package, do it. Travellers consistently rate it as good value, and the sea kayaking in the marine reserve adds proper depth to the trip. Dolphins and seals showing up alongside the penguins is not unusual. Take the shuttle from Akaroa rather than driving yourself on the steep gravel roads. Worth noting too.