Kaikoura Fur Seal Adventures - part one, walking.........

Kaikoura is home to one of the largest populations of New Zealand Fur Seals in the country. It’s also one of the easiest and most accessible places to spot and observe seals given they are found in numerous places up and down it’s rocky coastline. Once hunted nearly to extinction the New Zealand Fur Seal is now legally protected and has made a miraculous recovery. Numbers are booming which means more seal encounters for everyone to enjoy.
There are several ways to interact with seals in the Kaikoura area and I will start with the most obvious and simple one – walking.

A young pup drying off on the rocks at Kaikoura

Point Kean Seal Sanctuary is found at the end of the road leading from the main centre of Kaikoura Township. If in doubt, follow the road alongside the coast and you will end up at the car park with no were else to go. The seals here used to be spotted in the car park itself, under cars and snoozing on the boardwalk. I have even encountered several plucky youngsters half way up the grassy cliff side. Since the 2016 earthquake that caused so much damage around these parts the land has changed. Point Kean itself has extended further out along the peninsula meaning that the seals have also spread out. Although you will always find a couple snoozing on the board walk by the car parks entrance as no matter what time of day they always seem to be there. Sometimes too you will hear a couple snorting underneath the wooden boardwalk panels as you walk over them. If you want to see the seals in larger numbers though, or indeed have closer encounters with some of the braver, more inquisitive babies continue to walk around Point Kean and under the large protruding cliff face. You may have to scramble over the jagged rocks around here being careful not to slip on some of the greasy seaweed (Kaikoura is famous for this and indeed the pungent smell regularly greets you on arrival, especially in summertime).

Once around this headland you will come upon a well-formed stony path alongside which are many snoozing seals. Trying to avoid the ones laying over the path itself is another matter – but they will snarl to warn you of their presence if you dare to get too close. – don’t, there will only be one winner and it won’t be you! Just about every rock and smooth surface around this headland is covered by the bulk of a seal, both big and small. The mothers are usually snoozing in between weaning their youngsters whilst the little ones wander about, play fighting with one another and looking for a sheltered rock pool in which to practice their swimming with twists and turns. I was merrily observing all the seals when I suddenly heard a heap of snorting and rustling behind me – I turned around anxious to not be in the way of a seal heading back to sea, when I spotted two babies chasing one another in and out of the long grasses up on the sloping hillside. They can be quite fearless these littlies.

Once you have exhausted Point Kean (the walk continues all the way around this spectacular headland to the South Bay) return to your car and drive north of State Highway One out of town. It’s a magnificent journey with the Kaikoura Mountain Range on one side and the vast Pacific Ocean on the other. As you reach the coast you will notice all the recent work that has been undertaken to rebuild the road. During the earthquake a sizeable amount of the cliff face collapsed across the road, with gigantic landslides taking out huge chunks of the highway. The road is now being rebuilt in what is a colossal effort of man and machine. Also rebuilt is Ohau Point – a pull off which provides a viewing platform over one of the most successful seal colonies in the area. The original was swept away in one of the landslides and this one has purposely been built to allow visitors to view the seals in closer proximity without causing them any disruption. Although as you peer down you do notice several peering back up at you with mild curiosity. Ohau Point enables you to get some idea of how big this colony has become – as you journey further up the coastline you encounter more and more seals. They are recovering very well. The colony is particularly successful as a nursery for the babies, there are numerous rock pools formed by the incoming tide here which provide safe havens for them to play, practice their fishing techniques and generally burn off that abundance of energy. It was this area that was famous for the stream that youngsters climbed up to a waterfall pool that they loved to play in - the pool is still there and no doubt the youngsters still visit but it’s out of bound for us humans at the moment due to the pathway having been badly damaged. At least the baby seals can now play safely without any human intervention.

Another day dawns in Kaikoura, New Zealand’s marine paradise

This chapter of my blog covers the walks available to observe the seals but there are several other ways to encounter these gorgeous and playful marine mammals around Kaikoura. These include swimming and kayaking and will be discussed shortly….
 

Walking along the beach at Kaikoura as the sun begins to set behind the mountains

Shhhh, some secret New Zealand weekend escapes coming up as we begin to explore again

After many weeks stuck inside, metaphorically chained to our own kitchen sink, it’s time to head out again and rediscover New Zealand.

The trouble is where to go first and what to see. There has never been a better time to uncover this beautiful countries best spots, especially now there are no foreign visitors to our shore. We have NZ all to ourselves for most likely just a short while. We need to get out there and take it all in, see the top places empty of people parading iPhones and selfie sticks. But where do we go first and when? Well I have a few suggestions that might hopefully provide you with some ideas and inspiration.

Coming up:

See Lake Tekapo like it’s 1999…………

Journey the epic Milford Road without a tour bus in sight…….

Hike to a glacier lake on your own……..

Kayak with playful New Zealand Fur Seals…..

Surf with the world’s smallest dolphin……

Tuck into green lip mussels by a picturesque bay……

Encounter Kea in a mountain valley…..

Kaikoura and kayaking with the seals

Less than 3 hours scenic drive from Christchurch is the seaside township of Kaikoura. It’s the perfect short break after a hectic working week. Anchor Court Motel has reopened recently following damage suffered after the now famous 2016 earthquake. Directly across from the beach it’s floor to ceiling windows offer stunning views of the ocean complete with sunrise. This was the view from our room - we paid slightly more for a sea view but it was definitely worth the few extra dollars.

Kaikoura is a mecca for marine life and this is the main reason to visit. It also has some great food options which I’ll come to in a later blog. Folks head to Kaikoura to knock off some of those bucket list items which I’ll also get to later - swim with wild dolphins, learn to fly a plane, watch a sperm whale breach, even witness the mighty albatross fly overhead. It’s one of my very favourite places and an early morning start is always a must. Up early for the sunrise Dan and I headed out to meet the chaps from Kaikoura Kayaks, to hire a double sea kayak. They also do a few different guided trips which are well recommended but having done one of these previously we decided to head out on our own. After a very thorough safety briefing which came complete with some valuable information for future use we paddled out of South Harbour. The sea was smooth, the sky clear and the going fairly easy. We soon came across our first New Zealand Fur Seal lozenging around on the rocks. Up ahead more where in the water, rolling around attempting to cool off on this warm summers day. After a frantic paddle through the waves out at sea we reached Whalers Bay, only accessible by boat or foot. We kayaked through the shallow waters spotting fish and seaweed floating around in the clear waters beneath. Lots of seals were hanging out in this bay which is a popular area for the young males. They barked at one another a fair bit but were pretty laid back with us. We received a few odd looks and curious glances but on the whole they were more interested than bothered by our presence. As we approached the rocks some flopped down in the water, swimming closer to take a better look. We hung around on our own for quite a while until a Swim with the Seals boat appeared. Being so close to marine life, no matter how many times you’ve been lucky enough to experience it, is always a pinch me moment. Reluctantly we headed back to shore bidding farewell and wishing luck to our new found friends.