Where to see wild seals in New Zealand

Seals on the peninsula in Kaikoura

where to see wild seals in new zealand

Where to see wild seals in New Zealand

This post could quite easily also be called Free things to do in Kaikoura or What to do in Kaikoura when weather ruins play but I thought I would go with the one that would grab my attention, after all who wouldn’t want to know where to go seal spotting in New Zealand?!

Initially we had booked a stay in Kaikoura in order to swim with seals. Sure, you can swim with dolphins there but I thought being able to swim with adorable New Zealand fur seals would be something completely unique.

Sadly, it wasn’t meant to be. Although the sun was high in the sky, the sea was cloudy because of the previous day’s poor weather. So our seal swimming adventures were over before they had even begun. We decided to book a whale watching excursion as an alternative but luck was not on our side and all whale watching trips were cancelled too.

I wasn’t too disappointed because we still had a wonderful day and managed to get closer to the New Zealand fur seals than I had ever imagined – AND without getting wet!

A seal swimming in Ohau stream, Kaikoura

We drove to Ohau Point seal colony where we parked up and took a walk to the waterfall with the promise of potentially spotting a few young seals frolicking in the water. The walk was much shorter than expected and there were seals everywhere! They jumped and played in the waterfall, they lolloped around on the rocks. We were careful not to disturb them but two of the little scamps were playing on the path merely a metre away from where we stood! We watched them for a while and even as we left we saw more seals swimming along in the shallow waters beside us.

Ohau waterfall - a beautiful place to see seal pups swimming

Adorable seal pup at Ohau Point, New Zealand

See New Zealand fur seals - free things to do in Kaikoura

Our next stop was to drive down to the peninsula where another colony of seals could be found. One of the seals was even occupying a car park space! The rest of the seals were lolling around on the rocks which we climbed down on to in order to take a few pictures. Again, we were careful not to get too close as the car park seal already made it clear that I was invading its personal space when I stopped for a photo! (I really wasn’t that close either!).

Funny seal thinks its a car!

Seals on the peninsula in Kaikoura

We finished our day with a drive up to the lookout where we could see the stunning views of Kaikoura below.

View of Kaikoura in New Zealand's South Island

Even though the day didn’t go quite as planned, it was still one of my favourite days in New Zealand.

Here’s a little video I made from clips I shot on my mobile phone.

If you’re feeling inspired, why not take a look at my other New Zealand posts or check out my New Zealand board on Pinterest. My YouTube channel is also here.

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6 Comments

  1. Amazing – looks like a great trip!

    1. quirkylittleplanet

      It really was!

  2. Look at them, they are adorable. Especially the little ones. Glad the weather didn’t ruin your day.

    Sally @ Life Loving
    #LifeLovingLinkie

    1. quirkylittleplanet

      It was one of the most memorable days ever! 🙂

  3. Ahh they are just so cute and adorable! Great pictures 🙂

    1. quirkylittleplanet

      Thank you 🙂 they are cute aren’t they?!

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