The Big Rock Primary School pupil won the chance to be a ranger for a day with her essay on 10 ways to get involved in conservation in your neighbourhood.
She spent Saturday with ranger Mel Young checking yellow-eyed penguin nests on the Otago Peninsula.
After a "quite tiring" tramp, with a bit of bush-bashing thrown in, Natasha used a satellite map and found about five nests containing eight penguins and 16 eggs.
Despite hoping to see a penguin chick, she was not disappointed because the whole experience "was awesome" and she really enjoyed seeing penguins so close up.
The animals were known to swallow stones to help grind their food and they often threw them up on land.
Along with a truly ignited passion for environmental work, Natasha took some of these stones home with her as a souvenir.
Ms Young said it was rare for a member of the public to see penguins nesting in the wild.
