I was extremely jealous when Dad started sending me photographs of the family of New Zealand Fur Seals that he had spotted at Mount Maunganui (especially the adorable baby!) So when I was back home for two weeks, it was vital that we went to see them so I could give it a go myself. The light wasn’t fabulous, but I enjoyed seeing the two ‘fuzzy rocks’ that were in view.This individual spent most of the hour or so we were there sleeping, yawning, and flopping around. As you can see in the first image, she has sustained some damage to one of her eyes. We had seen a larger male leave to feed as we arrived, and hoped he would return before we left. He did, and did a few impressive shakes before settling down to doze in the sun. We didn’t see any others, and I was disappointed not to see the pup. We found a tiny seal carcass on the beach, and though it looked too small to be the one Dad had previously seen, we still worried. It’s the first time I’ve photographed New Zealand Fur Seals, although I have previously seen them in Kaikoura. I hope that this lot are still hanging around when I’m home for the summer, so I can visit them in better light.

Update on the pup from Dad: It’s still alive! The one we saw on the beach must have been another new-born that didn’t make it, which is unfortunate.