Ohau Point Seal Colony

Ohau Point is one of the more accessible fur seal colonies in the country, on the narrow strip between SH1 and the sea below the Seaward Kaikoura Range. The colony spreads over the rocks below the road and is viewed from a platform. The remarkable part is a short walk north: Ohau Stream comes down to a waterfall pool a few hundred metres inland, and seal pups make their way up the stream from the sea to spend time in the pool, tumbling and playing in fresh water while their mothers feed offshore. Numbers peak roughly June to October. The 2016 Kaikoura earthquake lifted this coast by several metres, destroyed parts of the colony habitat and closed the waterfall track for years; access has changed more than once since, so check the current status before driving out. The twenty-metre rule applies and matters more than usual at the pool, where pups approach.

What you actually see

• The colony - fur seals on the rocks below the highway platform.
• The waterfall pool - pups playing in fresh water, mostly June to October.
• The uplifted coast - the 2016 earthquake visible in the shoreline.
• The Seaward Kaikouras - the range rising directly behind.

When to go

June to October for pups at the waterfall - outside that window there are few. Check the track status before going; access has changed repeatedly since the 2016 earthquake.

Honest expectations

Twenty metres from seals, and never between a pup and the water - at the pool they come close and people forget. The highway here is fast with limited parking. Track access has been intermittently closed since 2016.

Nearby

Kaikoura and its peninsula walkway are south; the whale-watching boats leave from town.