I can’t process that winter has arrived in Hawaii. It’s 85 degrees and sunny most days, after all. A few extra rain clouds do little to convince my internal barometer that the “cold” months have arrived to our islands.

So this year, I’m feeling the need to celebrate all things frigid. I cranked the A/C on Christmas Day so I could wear something long-sleeved. When it’s rainy, I secretly rejoice (sorry to all the visitors for the bad karma). I eat far too much eggnog-flavored ice cream.

And I finally went to visit the penguin colony at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Granted, these are warm-weather penguins from Africa so they’re probably more comfortable in a hot tub than on an ice floe, but allow me to indulge in the fantasy.

This absolutely FREE exhibit features about a half-dozen African black-footed penguins, happily frolicking for visitors. They’re so cute, you want to reach out and pet them. Males are banded on the right wing, females on the left. They’re fed at 8 a.m., so pop by in the morning and get an extra treat.

While you’re there, you’re not limited to just ogling penguins. Stroll around the Hilton Hawaiian Village grounds and you’ll see flamingos, noisy macaws and more koi than you can shake a stick at. My personal favorite was the wood ducks that let you get so close, you could almost pet them. But that would be bad. So just stick to looking, folks, and enjoy!

For more information visit http://tr.im/hiltonwildlife

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Categories: Environment, Outdoors, Tourism
Tags: African black-footed penguins, African Penguins, aloha09, Features, FREE, Hawaii, Hawaii wildlife, Hilton Hawaiian Village, Oahu, Penguin Colony, Penguins, Waikiki