TAURANGA BAY SEAL COLONY

A female New Zealand fur seal lives at the same colony all her life. After giving birth in late November, and mating a week or so later, she takes feeding trips to sea for a few days at a time followed by up to seven days nursing her playful pups. This means a breeding colony – like the one at Tauranga Bay, Cape Foulwind – offers plenty of activity to observe at any time of the year.

The males arrive in late November and begin competing for the right to mate. The successful males will attract a group of up to 16 but normally less than seven females. The males remain ashore and do not feed for up to two months during the breeding season. Most return to the sea by mid-January.

From the car park at Tauranga Bay, a very well formed 10-minute track leads to viewing platforms over the seal colony below. Interpretive panels at the platforms provide information on the activity in the colony and the seals’ breeding cycle, as well as historical information about the sealing industry that once existed in New Zealand.