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Regional | South Island

Rare penguin reaches Northland shores

The Whangarei Native Bird Recovery Centre are trying to find out how their latest resident a Snares crested penguin has ended up miles away from its home.

There are 16 types of penguins in the world, but Snares crested penguin is a rare find in the Northland waters.

It's believed the 5.5kg bird was swept in a strong current from the South-east of Stewart Island.

If it weren't for a local fisherman sighting him in the Bay of Islands it may not have survived

The new resident to the Whangarei centre is settling in well, and it’s also been named after New Zealand’s motorcycle racer Burt Munro.

Burt will stay on land for the next two weeks until he finishes moulting, until then he'll be waterproof again.

The solo traveller is in for a happy ending though. There are plans to return him by plane to Dunedin to set him in the direction he came from.