Department of Conservation (DoC) workers got a surprise last week after they unearthed a blue penguin that had been buried alive by a slip.
Torrential rain in many parts of the South Island earlier this month caused widespread flooding, road closures and slips.
The DoC team from Tōtaranui were working on a slip on the Abel Tasman coast track. As they dug into the mud the penguin's head popped out.
It had been buried by a 20-metre-long slip of mud and vegetation that fell onto the track above Waiharakeke Bay in the heavy rainfall that struck Nelson-Tasman nearly two weeks ago.
The bird seemed unperturbed by its ordeal and even pecked the hand of the ranger who plucked it out of the mud.
The penguin was given a quick health check and after passing was released back into the wild.
Its rescuers watched it waddle off down the track back and to the sanctuary of the ocean.
The team said the rescue was one of those "joyous and heartfelt moments".
It's thought the penguin clambered up the slope above the beach into the vegetation and became trapped by the slip.
