Mōtītī Blue and the Oil Spill: A Story from the Rena Disaster - The Kiwi Kids' Bookstore

When the container ship, Rena, grounded on 5 October 2011, spilling an estimated 350 tonnes of heavy fuel oil into Tauranga Moana, the impact was devastating for the people of Bay of Plenty. With each turn of a tide, more toxic oil was washed up on Mōtītī and Matakana islands, along the Mount Maunganui coast and down to Maketū. It was a heart-breaking sight.

What was worse was the multitude of oiled birds and sea creatures, most of whom would die of suffocation from the toxic oil. Despairing residents were buoyed by the sight of oiled little blue penguins that were recovering well at the Te Maunga Oiled Wildlife Response Centre.

One of these oiled birds, a little blue penguin named Mōtītī Blue by the author, was rescued and treated at the Te Maunga. The release of these penguins back into the wild was a promise of hope for the future of Tauranga Moana.

Written by Debbie McCauley, translated by Tamati Waaka and illustrated by Sarah Elworthy

.00 incl. GST

2 in stock