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There was no chance of getting an autograph, although he had no entourage in tow to fend off admirers. But if we held our breath and made no sudden moves, photos were ours for the taking.
Our group had almost given up on the idea of seeing a yellow-eyed penguin up close. We'd been wandering around the hides and covered trenches of Penguin Place for 40 minutes, but the closest "yellow" we'd seen was half-hiding under a bush about 30m away. Binoculars and zoom lenses were deployed to no avail. There was an element of the paparazzi about it.
Then a man in front of me froze. "Look! There's one!" he whispered.
A yellow-eyed penguin watched us through netting from about 30cm away. He tolerated our clicking cameras until Anna, our guide, said it was time to leave him alone.
These endangered creatures attract attention not just because they're photogenic, but because there are only 4000-5000 of them left in the world - and they all live in New Zealand. Most live on the Campbell and Auckland islands, about a quarter are divided between Stewart Island and the east coast of the South Island.
The Otago Peninsula is a haven for all kinds of wildlife: soaring albatrosses, sea lions, seals, and an abundance of birds and marine creatures. But the solitary yellow-eyed penguin has always attracted attention, even before one ambled companionably alongside Roy in the Mainland Cheese TV commercials of the 1980s and early 1990s.
Penguin Place, a private conservation project near the top of the peninsula, was started by farmer Howard McGrouther in 1985, after years of requests from locals and visitors to see the yellows that lived on the edge of the family farm.
It was breeding season during my afternoon visit, so all was quiet. Half the yellows (and a few, more social, blue penguins) were at sea catching fish, while the others quietly guarded their eggs. It isn't so peaceful when partners return to the nest at dusk, or around mating time, hence the birds' Maori, hoiho - meaning "noisy shouter".
To see penguins do their trademark waddle in the wild, go to Sandfly Bay on the peninsula's south coast. It's named because the prevailing wind blows the sand off the dunes so fiercely that it flies up the side of the hill.
A DoC hide has a view of the beach, lounging sealions, and the yellows returning to the dunes full of their day's catch.
The drive from Dunedin's information centre takes just 55 minutes to the end of the peninsula (passing through the settlement of Otakou, which is the original Maori name for the area).
Given the area's Scottish heritage, you can drive either the high road or the low road. The low road twists and turns past arts and crafts studios, B&Bs and picnic spots - but be warned: it's easy to get distracted by the beauty of rolling green hills and a dazzling harbour. "Every year a few people go off the road and into the drink," a local told me. "Usually none are hurt, but there's always a few that just miss a corner!" The roads converge in Portobello, the largest settlement. It has accommodation for all budgets, from the Portobello Village Tourist Park to luxury B&Bs, or the relaxed McFarmer's Backpackers.
At the NZ Marine Studies Centre and Aquarium, a research centre set up by Otago University, you can touch and see local marine life up close - octopus, seahorses, sharks, squid and more. Many of the guides are masters or PhD students, with an in-depth knowledge and passion for these creatures.
The high road winds up from Portobello and returns along the peninsula's backbone to Dunedin. Not far from Portobello is the gorgeously restored Larnach Castle and its lush gardens. The castle has served as a home, holiday retreat for nuns, mental asylum, cabaret, film set, and the ballroom was once used as a sheep pen. Those sheep must have had quite a view; the castle is on a lofty vantage point with views up and down the peninsula.
But for the definitive word on the views from on high, ask the albatrosses. When they're not journeying around the southern oceans, they raise their families and ride the air currents around Taiaroa Head, at the tip of the peninsula.
A Maori pa once occupied the headland, and European settlers established armaments there in 1885 when the threat of Russian invasion loomed.
Now, DoC manages the Royal Albatross Colony (the only mainland breeding colony in the world), where the wandering birds - with their famed wing span of up to 3m - launch out towards the horizon.
The Royal Albatross Centre is open year round and offers essential albatross information. It also has an observatory, although during the mating and egg-incubating period (mid-September until mid-November), visitors must content themselves with alternative tours. However, if you're on a wildlife tour such as the highly recommended Elm Wildlife Tour, you may be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a magnificent albatross surfing the updrafts during mating season.
Several other companies offer wildlife tours of the peninsula too - you can spot penguins, sealions, seals, spotted shags and sooty shearwaters from limousines, 4WDs, boats, buses and buggies.
The array of other creatures and attractions ensure the famed yellow-eyed penguins don't hog the limelight. And the yellows probably don't mind; the penguin eyeballing me from less than a metre away wore a distinctly Garbo-esque look. "I want to be alone," I imagined him muttering.
Visitors are often reminded of how to behave considerately towards these popular creatures and ecologist David Bellamy praised the Otago Peninsula as "the finest example of eco-tourism in the world". Undoubtedly, its animal celebrities would agree.
Otago Peninsula
Getting around
It's best to drive, though there are no petrol stations on the peninsula, so fill up before you go. Buses run every one or two hours from central Dunedin to Portobello, and occasionally on to Harington Point. A one-way trip from downtown to Portobello costs $3.40, or to Harington Point $4. Call Citibus Newton on (03) 477 5577 for times.
What to do
Cafe 1908, 7 Harington Point Rd, Portobello, phone (03) 478 0801.
Elm Wildlife Tours, phone 0800 356 563 or see Elm Wildlife Tours.
Larnach Castle, 145 Camp Rd, phone (03) 476 1616 or see Larnach Castle.
NZ Marine Studies Centre and Aquarium, Hatchery Rd, Portobello, phone (03) 479 5826 or see New Zealand Marine Studies Centre.
Penguin Place, Pakihau Rd, Harington Point, phone (03) 478 0286 (bookings essential) or visit Penguin Place.
Royal Albatross Colony and Centre, Taiaroa Head, phone (03) 478 0498 (bookings essential) or visit Royal Albatross Colony.
Sandfly Bay, access is via track from Seal Point Rd (moderate walk, 40 mins), or Ridge Rd (hard walk, 40 mins).
Where to stay
Most accommodation is around Portobello. The town has a grocery store, a pub and cafes.
More information
Otago Peninsula
