Smelly Seals and a Whale of a Tail

In New Zealand you are surrounded by nature. You are constantly being reminded of that with every chirp of the birds, the ocean views in every direction, the blowing breeze and the smell of seals! Recently we went on a beach tramp to Red Rocks where we were so close to the seals we could actually smell them. That was a new experience for me. Aside from their smell, it was amazing to be so close to the seals. And there were hundred of them! At first glance I didn't even noticed them because their dark fur blended so well with the dark rocks. But, once I started noticing the "moving" rocks and hearing them fight it was hard not to notice them everywhere along the beach. Being there with so many seals and so few humans made it feel like we had just discovered the seals' secret hideaway.

Aubri at the Red Rocks outcropping. 

Fur seals!

Lazy and stinky fur seals. 

It's hard to see on this rocky beach, but many fur seals are napping on those rocks. 

While living in Wellington there have been a few whale sightings. Southern Right Whales have even been in the harbour on two different occasions. But, unfortunately I have never seen any. It is a dream of mine to see a whale. Seriously, ever since I did a report on Grey Whales in the 5th grade I have been a little obsessed with wanting to see a whale. After a year of living here and spending countless hours starring at our view of the harbour I have finally seen Orcas, on two different occasions. 

The first one, was during school holiday. I had heard rumours that there were some orcas near the beach. So Eva and I went on a tramp to see them. We totally lucked out. From the tops of the hills we could look down and see about five orcas swimming along the coastline. 

On another evening Lucy and I had an up close sighting of orcas. We had heard people had seen them all day in various parts of the harbour. So, we drove around the beaches hoping to spot some. We saw quite a few. There was even a baby. 

The orca dorsal fin and a confetti of sea gulls flying around. 

One of my favourite parts of nature here is the sound of the water pulling back from the rocks on the beaches. It makes a loud tinkling sound. There is even a Maori word to describe it, kirikiri tatangi. If you say kirikiri fast enough it even mimics the sound the water on the rocks makes. Here is a video I took trying to capture this sound: