Locales was approached by the Ōamaru Penguins team to enhance their daytime visitor experience. Our brief was to refurbish the Discovery Centre and outdoor signage, creating a playful, interactive experience for visitors who may not see the penguins while they’re out hunting during the day.

The Concept

The idea was to showcase the incredible conservation work happening behind the scenes, emphasising that the Ōamaru Penguins is much more than a tourist attraction.

The experience begins with an immersive film exploring the long history of penguins in the Waitaki district, from prehistoric times to today. The film was developed entirely in-house, featuring bespoke illustrations, animation and a unique wrap-around format across three projections.

The Science Room

The first exhibition space focuses on the day-to-day scientific research and conservation work carried out by staff. Designed to feel like a science lab, the room features a clean lab-like look with hands-on activities.

We developed modules for each area of work, themed around different major activities undertaken at the colony.

Custom-designed props bring the space to life and add a touch of humour.

A key feature of the room is the ‘Research HQ’. This zone showcases the data collected by Ōamarvu Penguins and includes an interactive screen where visitors learn about the research work as if they’re on a video call with staff. By the end, visitors are fully inducted as honorary penguin scientists.

The Penguin Room

The Penguin Room immerses visitors in the lives of kororā. This room is designed to feel as if visitors have slipped beneath the waves to explore the penguins’ world.

In the ‘Build a Penguin’ interactive, visitors can customise their own little penguin and release it into the wild. Their penguin then swims onto the corresponding projection, ready for a photo opportunity. The interactive was built using detailed digital 3D models, allowing for multiple customisable features.

The centrepiece of the room is a large life cycle table exploring the different stages of a penguin’s life throughout the year. Each stage is brought to life with a bespoke, backlit artwork in a rich, realistic style.

Beautifully modelled penguin replicas show the birds in realistic swimming positions and also create another photo opportunity for visitors.

The ‘Meet the Colony’ section features a large-scale illustration of the colony alongside a touchscreen interactive that draws on real-time data, showing how many adult penguins and chicks are currently living in the colony.

Outdoors

Outdoor signage around the burrows provides additional details about the penguins, interpreting various sights outside.

Mandarin Guide

The experience is also supported by a Mandarin mobile audio guide. The guide translates each area of the exhibition for Ōamaru Penguins’ international audience.