In the past, the Department of Conservation (Doc) has released the rare birds about 20km away from the township, but in a rare move the department released two adult birds and 31 juveniles along the Cowans Hill walkway in Tekapo on Monday.
The birds are expected to remain in the area for another five weeks before they fly off to river beds in the Mackenzie Basin, but in the meantime pet owners have been asked to keep domesticated cats out of the way.
Doc ranger Simone Cleland said that to protect the birds a trapping programme, which would target stoats, ferrets and weasels, would operate around the site and Havahart traps would also be in place to catch wild cats.
''We have taken a bit of a risk but it will be great for the Lake Tekapo community to have an iconic Canterbury bird on their doorstep.''
''We are asking for a bit of community buy-in. Locals can help by keeping their cats well fed at home and locked inside at night.''
She said there was no danger of pet cats being injured by mistake.
''Our predator control rangers can easily tell a wild cat from a domestic one so any pets caught will not be harmed.''
Dogs would also be required to be kept on a lead along the walkway.
The release was expected to provide a short-term tourism boost, as residents would be able to direct tourists to the site and there would be a Doc ranger in place to feed the released birds, she said.
So far, pet owners appear to have been happy to keep their cats under curfew.
Lake Tekapo Community Board chairman Murray Cox said he was not aware of ''any grumbling'' from cat owners.
