Tramping part Deux

Amy and I had heard that a seal colony could be found nearby and we decided to take advantage of another stretch of "fine" weather by taking the kids to see it. Evidently this colony is a "bachelor" seal colony consisting solely of males who have lost their bid for dominance in the breeding colonies on the South Island. This is good for us because they're less aggressive and there's no danger of stumbling between a mother and her pup.

We drove about 15 minutes to a part of the coast that's just west of town. From there is was about an hour's walk along the shoreline to the area where the seals tend to hang out. Here's a view back towards town (you can just make it out in the distance):



As we walked, Amy educated me about the history of the "bach." Pronounced "batch" (as in batchelor pad), these are small, typically humble dwellings which were built on public land as late as a few decades ago under a provision which worked rather like the US homestead act. We passed a few of these on the way. Some were cozy and others were reminiscent of concrete bunkers. Most of them were being put to good use by groups of guys who clearly loved drinking beer, riding off road vehicles (the only way to get there), and sitting in front of the fire. As you might imagine, they enjoyed some nice views given that they had chosen select spots of beachfront. I am currently looking in to building one myself. You will know I succeeded if you never hear from me again.



The walk wasn't bad. We're starting to get our technique down; Quinn rides in the pack and Amelia rides on my shoulders once she tires of running. Here's the crew celebrating Amelia's discovery of a nifty-looking shell:



We had been forewarned of the seals' scent, and indeed we began to smell them as soon as they came into view. There are about 80 fur seals in the colony, and they spent lots of time lounging around.





They are surprisingly well camouflaged for animals of their size. I suppose it helps that they hold very still most of the time. In this picture, Amelia and I are sneaking towards a big male. There are eleven seals in the following picture (remember, you can click to zoom in):



We timed the trip perfectly as the first raindrops we've seen in several days began to fall right as we drove away.