RECIPES

Monday 30 March 2020

Sea Lions at Waipapa Point


Waipapa Point is a great place to visit to see rugged coastline, sea mammals and an historic lighthouse, and is situated on the eastern side of The Catlins at the bottom of the South Island.

  
The wooden lighthouse has been in continuous operation since 1884, and became fully automated in 1976.


The New Zealand Sea Lion, endemic to New Zealand, occasionally comes ashore here to rest on the beach and in the coastal turf.  Fur Seals look similar and sometimes come ashore here, although they generally prefer a more rocky beach.  Sea Lions are much larger than seals and have a blunt snout and short whiskers, but are very similar in the colouring of their fur.

The snoozing sea lion on the beach here was a female, about half the size of an adult male who can grow up to 3.5 metres long and weigh up to 450kg.


As my husband and I walked up towards the lighthouse we were startled to see a large male sea lion waking from his sleep, hidden in the turf beside the path.  We prudently retreated up the hill to a safe distance and watched him.


The New Zealand Sea Lion, known as Rapoka in Maori, is one of the rarest sea lions in the world.  It is a species currently in decline and is fully protected by law.

If you ever come across one, feel privileged but be warned that they can chase you and deliver a nasty bite.  Do not disturb or frighten them and stay at least 10 metres away, or more if you have a dog with you.  Never run away from a close encounter, but back off slowly and avoid direct eye contact.


The male we were observing took his time to wake up.  He stretched and yawned and rolled around a bit, before slowly lumbering across the turf and down onto the beach.


Once on the beach he began flipping sand up over himself.  He must have done this for several minutes, in a slow and calculated manner, before finally sprawling out motionless on the sand and beginning another snooze session.

It is generally thought sea lions, along with other similar species, flip sand over themselves as a way of keeping cooler, of protecting themselves from the sun.


We felt very honoured to have witnessed this male and female sea lion in the wild, and left them sleeping just metres apart from each other.

They were living their lives doing what sea lions have always done.  They were not worried about where their next meal was coming from, or the fact that their species is under threat.  They were appreciating and enjoying the moment.

Whatever crises mankind faces, time passes and life continues.  Nature carries on like it has always done – the tide comes in and the tide goes out, birds build nests in springtime, and the sun shines every day (even when we cannot see it!).  We can learn so much from our observations of Nature.


As we left Waipapa Point I stopped and photographed these trees.  The wind down here can be extremely fierce at times and I believe it blows on most days.  We were fortunate on the day we visited as there was no wind and it was sunny.

  


Never give up hope, look for good things in your life and be thankful for them.
Margaret.


LINKING UP WITH Saturday's Critters


29 comments:

  1. Thank you for sharing your island’s sea lions. Magnificent creatures! Take care.

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    1. I think that male sea lion would be the largest wild creature I have seen in New Zealand. He was certainly magnificent :)

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  2. I love seeing the things you see or have seen in your part of the world. I was wondering what the sea lions reactions are to humans and there you answered without me having to ask. It is an interesting world, and in the over all we are just a dot on the time line.

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    1. If we only stop and look, the world is full of incredible things. I love seeing what others take photos of, so I am glad you are enjoying mine :)

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  3. There is so much to be thankful for. Lovely photos of the sealions. The Catlins is on my bucket list.

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    1. You would love The Catlins Susan. We saw it all in one day but I think it would be better to spend two or three days to see it all properly.

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  4. Sea Lions are very impressive and you were fortunate to see them from quite close up.
    We saw some on the Oregon coast years ago when we visited the Sea Lion caves near Florence.

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    1. I am not sure about being fortunate! It was rather scary having this great huge black creature suddenly rise up out of the grass beside me, but he definitely was impressive :))

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  5. I love your posts, they are so full of fun and beautiful views, so much doom and gloom at the moment. Keep them coming............

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    1. It is so easy to drown in doom if we are not careful. Stay happy, keep smiling :)

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  6. Hmmm, what a beautiful sight that is with the ocean!
    The Sea Lions look really different here!
    And clever, to be able to enjoy each moment like that.
    Wise words, Margaret! To the good in life.

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  7. I would very much have enjoyed being with you that day. What a fabulous encounter. And you are right, when we eradicate ourselves, probably in the not too distant future, nature will retake the areas we have disfigured and despoiled, and reclaim them for her own.

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    1. I feel privileged to have encountered Wild Nature like this. It was an awesome experience.
      I have seen how quickly nature will cover a pathway when a lawn is no longer mowed - it does not take long. Humanity needs to wake up and take better care of our planet.

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  8. The sea lions are wonderful. Thanks for the pist

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  9. Hello, sorry I am late visiting, I just noticed you have linked up your critter post. The Sea lion is so cute, what a great sighting. I enjoy seeing the wild critters. The lighthouse is beautiful too. Wonderful post and photos. Thanks so much for sharing your post. Take care, stay well. Wishing you a happy and healthy new week!

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    1. Thanks Eileen. I love visiting you and your critters :)

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  10. I could not recall being there but when I saw the post I had a feeling that I'd been told about the sea lions when I was in Invercargill and the surrounding area. You are a very long way from there. So had to do some work before I realised that they were "down South". Obviously a visit some time. Anyway It was good to see the pictures. I love lighthouses too.

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    1. My husband (now deceased) and I visited here in 2012 but I know that sightings still occur. It was a wonderful visit and I felt it was worth sharing.

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  11. Hey Margaret, Thank you for your nice contribution, it touched me to read it. I totally agree with you and send you warm regards. Viola
    it is wonderful that you had the opportunity to see the animals in their original nature. Thanks for the pictures.

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    1. There is so much beauty and joy in Nature if only we will take the time to see it. We really do live in a wonderful world :)

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  12. What a beautiful lighthouse Margaret! It may not be that tall but it looks strong and sturdy. Those sea linos look so cute and playful, I hope they're not scorched by the sun. Those trees on the last photo are my favorite, it's like fixed-up hair do to the sides.

    Stevenson
    Cavite Daily Photo
    Stevenson Que Blog

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    1. Many trees in this area grow at an angle because of the strong winds, but most of my photos of them were taken from a moving vehicle and didn't come out too well. But I never ever thought of them as being like a hair-do! :))

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  13. I remember seeing a fur seal at farewell spit last year, they can be quite vicious can't they if one gets too close.

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    1. I was told specifically to never ever get between seals and the water as that makes them feel more threatened than anything else. They can give quite a nasty bite apparently.

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  14. We get seals and sealions in the spring along the British Columbia coast. In our town they hang out on the breakwater surrounding our paper mill's pond. - Margy

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Thank-you for visiting my blog. I love it when you leave a comment so please feel free to have your say. Have a great day! Margaret xx