Punakaiki: Where plucky petrels get the homecoming they deserve

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Punakaiki: Where plucky petrels get the homecoming they deserve

Barbara
Fountain
The Westland petrel or tāiko
The Westland petrel or tāiko

The West Coast town of Punakaiki attracts around a half-million visitors each year to its pancake rocks, blowholes and dramatic coastal scenery. But come summer’s end, a new local attraction is gaining a following. Barbara Fountain reports

The tāiko has a propensity to be disoriented by the lights of Punakaiki – the birds land near the lights and are unable to take flight again The