New Zealand Made Lonely Planet’s Top 10 Marine Encounters List. Twice.
A few years ago Lonely Planet published a list of the top ten marine encounters in the world. When I read it I was struck by two things — two of the ten are right here in New Zealand, and three are in Australia. For a couple of countries at the bottom of the map, that’s pretty remarkable.
The full list:
- Floating fly-bys with manta rays, Fiji
- Swimming with dolphins, New Zealand
- Communing with tuna, South Australia
- Splash out with sea lions, South Australia
- Hanging out with whale sharks, Western Australia
- Peaceful drifting with jellyfish, Palau
- Exploring the deep blue with humpback whales, Niue
- Snorkelling with manatees, Florida
- Diving with fur seals, New Zealand
- Paddling with penguins, Galápagos Islands
I was able to swim with the dolphins in 2016 and it was magical — I wrote about it in a previous post. The fur seals in Kaikoura are still on my list. We had planned to go with Seal Swim Kaikoura but the weather turned bad the day we were there and the trip was cancelled. We spoke to a few people who had gone the previous day and they said it was incredible. One day.
The manatee snorkel in Florida is on the list too — and I wrote about that one as well. We went to Crystal Springs, which I lovingly called “Snorkeling with Giant Baked Potatoes.” It’s an amazing experience to snorkel among the manatees — or boat with them if you’re not comfortable snorkeling.
A note on the manta ray listing — we didn’t make it to Fiji, but we did a night snorkel with manta rays off the coast of Kona, Hawaii many years ago with a company called Jack’s Diving Locker. We swam with around five to ten rays, some as big as 14 feet wide. Absolutely unforgettable and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
About the New Zealand Fur Seal — kekeno in Māori
The New Zealand fur seal is making a serious comeback. Before the arrival of Europeans, the population was around 2 million. European hunters in the 1700s and 1800s pushed them close to extinction — in 1894 they were fully protected, by which point they were at just 15% of their former numbers. The population is now conservatively estimated at 200,000 and growing at around 2% per year.
Fur seals and sea lions are distinguished from other seals by their external ear flaps and hind flippers that rotate forward, allowing them to move surprisingly quickly on land. Males can weigh up to 150kg and reach 2.5 meters in length — these are not small animals. They can even swallow small stones to act as ballast during deep dives, which also helps digest fish bones and squid beaks. Useful trick.
If swimming with them feels like a big commitment, there are easier options around Kaikoura. You can do a coastal seal colony walk, and if you’re visiting in winter, the seal pup activity at Ohau waterfall is apparently spectacular — the pups gather there while their parents are out feeding and are very active. All the reviews mention the smell, so be prepared.
For the easiest seal encounter of all, just drive the Kaikoura coast between Kekerengu and Oaro — about 82 kilometers. You’ll see seals lazing on the rocks the whole way with plenty of places to pull over and watch.
17 November 2016 update — I’m sorry to report that the Kaikoura Coast Seal Colony Walk and the Ohau Waterfall were destroyed in the earthquake that hit on Monday. Details are in my earthquake post. The seals were most likely out to sea when it happened, so I’m hoping that means not many were killed. Very sad, and I hope they find a new breeding ground this season.
