Yellow eyed penguin colony
Yellow eyed penguin colony
Oamaru, New Zealand
Last updated: February 11, 2026
Opening Hours
Visitor Reviews
**★★★★★ Stephen Brown — 2 weeks ago
Only spotted this after a careful look 🧐 at Google Maps.
We arrived shortly after 3pm when access to the beach is prohibited 🚫 although this didn't stop half a dozen young Asian people who arrived at the sight as the same time as us from ignoring the signage & walking down to the beach! 🙄
From the hide & path we had a clear, if distant, view of the sealions & penguins! It helped that we had a monocular.
Well worth a visit.
**★★★★★ L. Filip — 3 months ago
Managed to see a penguin and a few seals :). It is recommended that you are at the observation point a couple of hours before dawn; beach access closes at 3PM.
**★★★★★ Yan Le Su — a year ago
Penguins aside, this is a wonderful viewpoint overlooking the Bushy Beach Scenic Reserve!
Penguins: Came here at around 7pm in Summer. Spotted a single Hoiho around 830-840pm!
Do take note that it gets quite windy at the viewpoint so dress accordingly.
Bring a pair of binoculars or a camera with a long telephoto lens to see/photograph the penguins as they can be quite far away!
Good luck :)
**★★★★★ Charlene Su — a year ago
A reminder to please DO NOT go onto the beach after 3pm - we saw a few inconsiderate tourists taking selfies on the beach while a few groups of us were up on the deck waiting for a sighting.
We came at dusk and waited for an hour and a half but didn’t see any penguins unfortunately - they are known to be very shy and might have been scared off by the idiots on the beach! It was a beautiful spot to watch the sunset anyhow but the inconsiderate people made me so upset 😭😭😭
**★★★★★ Nicolas Jaegergaard — a year ago
Great location to spot Yellow Eyed Penguins. The beach is closed between 9am - 3pm, but there are platforms where you can see the penguins come on land. Be there 2-3 hours before sunset or around 3:30pm. It can be a bit tricky to spot them. Bring binoculars or a good tele-zoom camera for best experience. Don't go to the beach after it's closed please.
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Where to Stay Near Yellow eyed penguin colony
