The Royal Albatross Centre celebrates World Albatross Day with another life-sized “albicake” and naming of the Royal Cam chick

 Royal Albatross Centre staff with their WAD2026 albicake

In what seems to be becoming an annual event, The Royal Albatross Centre at Taiaroa Head/Pukekura on New Zealand’s South Island baked a life-sized “albicake” to celebrate World Albatross Day (WAD2026) and its theme of “Habitat Restoration” last month.  As in previous years, it depicted an Endangered Northern Royal Albatross Diomedea sanfordi.  Life-sized with outspread wings (that’s three metres!) it seems the cake did not last long before being portioned and consumed by visitors and staff alike.  Watch a fun video of being made and eaten here.

The 2025/26 Royal Cam chick, “Āwheo”, photograph by Ela Hunt

WAD2026 in the Royal Albatross colony was also marked by naming the 2025/26 Royal Cam chick.  “Āwheo means ‘halo’ in Te Reo Māori and was chosen by the Department of Conservation as a fitting name linking to this year’s World Albatross Day theme of “Habitat Restoration”.  For royal albatross, that ‘halo’ is healthy sea and land - clean feeding grounds and safe breeding sites.  Āwheo reminds us to be kaitiaki [guardians] for their home, now and for generations.  It calls us to restore taiao [nature], together.”

This season’s Royal Cam chick, identified as a male, hatched on 22 January from an egg laid on 06 November 2025.  Its colour-banded parents first bred in 2022 and have fledged one previous chick following losing an egg (click here).  Watch what he is up to via a 24-hour live stream.

Baking cakes to mark World Albatross Day commenced with a competition for the inaugural World Albatross Day on 19 June 2020.  The tradition is slowly spreading with albicakes appearing on the table at events marking the day on sub-Antarctic islands and Antarctic research institutes alike. Let’s hope it spreads further and endures!

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 14 July 2026