This virtual cache is at the Ōhau Point Seal Colony along the coast north of Kaikoura.
The coast north of Kaikoura has always been known as a great area for seal watching.
Here you will see colonies of the New Zealand fur seal (kekeno).
The NZ fur seal population is widely spread around the entire coast of the South Island; the southern coast of Australia (including Bass Strait); and New Zealand’s sub-Antarctic islands.
The fur seal population has fluctuated over the years. In fact, Māori and early European hunting almost pushed them to extinction (from a population of about 2 million).
But the population has bounced back and it is now considered healthy. Recent research has shown the populations increasing by anywhere from 16% (Australia) to 25% (Otago) per year, which is encouraging. This is despite there being a number of threats to the population. Sharks such as the Great White are the main predator, while Leopard Seals and NZ Sea Lions often predate on younger pups. Other threats are Orca, dogs, and, of course, human activity. Many seals drown when caught up in nets, while there have been instances of seals being shot at.
The Kaikoura earthquake of November 2016 markedly changed the coastline here. It was a complex event, starting near Culverden and triggering fault slips in a number of places. The end result was the land being uplifted by up to 5 metres along the coast.
The area around Ōhau Point was one of the most affected by the earthquake. About 100,000 cubic metres of debris came down here, totally covering the road and severely affecting the seals.
But the seals are back, and this excellent viewing area is a great place to check them out. One of the main casualties from the quake, however, was the Ōhau Stream walk, a nice 5-10 minute stroll which takes you to a pool where you could quite often see young seals playing. At the time of publication of this cache, this walk was still closed. Let’s hope this opens again, as it was a special place.
LOGGING REQUIREMENTS
To seal the deal on logging this cache you just have to do one thing.
Take a photo of yourself with the Ōhau sign in the background (the one in the photo below). As this sign is quite recent, this will suffice as proof you have visited the area.
And..... that is it!!
Of course, feel free to upload some photos of the seals as well.
NOTE: Logs without a photo of the Ōhau sign will be deleted.
Virtual Rewards 2.0 - 2019/2020
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between June 4, 2019 and June 4, 2020. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 2.0 on the Geocaching Blog.