Meet the Kororā: New Zealand’s Cutest Chaos Gremlins

1. They’re actually BLUE.  Not “bluish.” Not “in the right lighting.”  Blue. Like someone put a penguin in the wash with your best jeans.
   
2. They’re monogamish. They mostly mate for life… …but occasionally cheat. Penguin drama is real and I respect it.
   
3. They scream at night. Their nighttime call sounds like a gremlin arguing with its landlord. If you hear it? You’ve found penguin soap opera hour.
   
4. They zoom underwater. Up to 6 km/hr (that’s 3.7 mph if the metric system betrayed you). Basically tiny torpedoes with attitude.
   
5. They live surprisingly close to people. Kororā regularly nest near roads, under holiday homes (“baches”), and in cliff crevices.
   Yes. Under your house.

•  Height: 25–33 cm
  → 10–13 inches
   
• Weight: 1–1.5 kg
  → 2.2–3.3 lbs
   
• Dive Depth: up to 35 m
  → 115 ft
   
• Swimming Speed: up to 6 km/hr
  → 3.7 mph (definitely faster than me)

Size comparison [not really]: Imagine a teeny “slightly feral toddler wearing a tuxedo vest,” but waterproof and judgmental.

RUN FOR THE HILLS... just kidding.

Yes — for real — they live there.

These locations are based on DOC + NZ wildlife sources + penguin tourism guides:

• Ōamaru Bay (northern Coromandel coast) 
• Wharf Road / coastal reserve areas 
• Wharekaho / Simpsons Beach 
• Kuaotunu coastline 
• Broken Hills & Tairua estuary area 
• Cooks Beach + Shakespeare Cliff Reserve
• Hahei (occasionally)
• Hot Water Beach coastline (night sightings reported) 
• Kennedy Bay area 
• Waiheke Island (Kennedy Point Marina) — not technically Coromandel but close enough and VERY active
  
  Fun fact: Nesting sites are often within 100 metres of the shoreline, meaning penguins literally waddle under baches and sometimes cross roads at dusk. Local traffic signs warning “PENGUINS CROSSING” are not a joke.

Because New Zealand summer Christmas isn’t complete without:

• sand in uncomfortable places 
• pohutukawa petals stuck to your sunscreen 
• a billionaire making questionable decisions 
• and kororā waddling by like they’ve come to judge your life choices 

Plus, Māori culture considers kororā special, and their presence is part of what makes Aotearoa magic.

Kororā populations are declining. Want to support real-life kororā like the ones waddling through this book?

The Western Bay Wildlife Trust does direct boots-on-the-beach work: rescuing injured penguins, protecting nests, monitoring colonies, and running predator control to keep these feisty weirdos alive.

They take international donations, so even if you’re reading this from your couch in Ohio, you can help a penguin.

Donate Online:
https://www.westernbaywildlife.nz/donate/

International Support (Give-a-Little):
https://givealittle.co.nz/org/westernbaywildlifetrustforpenguinsandpetrels

CLAIMED FOR CHRISTMAS BY MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS
A summer Christmas romance set in Coromandel — featuring:

• heat 
• heart 
• boogie boards 
• billionaire chaos 
• penguin sightings 
• and one unforgettable Kiwi holiday 

👉 ORDER Now