Cape Foulwind Seal Colony - Westport, New Zealand
Posted by: 
denben
S 41° 45.820 E 171° 27.410
59G E 537973 N 5376361
The Cape Foulwind Seal Colony is located at Tauranga Bay near Westport, West Coast. It attracts 100,000 visitors a year.
Waymark Code: WMN8N9
Location: South Island, New Zealand
Date Posted: 01/19/2015
Views: 1
Cape Foulwind is a prominent headland on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island, overlooking the Tasman Sea. It is located ten kilometres west of the town of Westport.
Tauranga Bay at Cape Foulwind is home to a fur seal breeding colony, which is accessible by a well-maintained walking track. Although this is a year-round colony, the best time to view is October to March when the Big Bull Seals return to mate and the pups are at their most playful.
Fur seals are generally smaller than sea lions. They share with other otariids the ability to turn their rear limbs forward and move on all fours. Typically, fur seals gather during the summer in large assemblages at specific beaches or rocky outcrops to give birth and breed. All species are polygynous, meaning dominant males reproduce with more than one female. For most species, total gestation lasts about 11.5 months, including a several-month period of delayed implantation of the embryo.
The Tauranga Bay Seal Colony Walk is an excellent walking track leading to viewing platforms overlooking the seal colony. Interpretive panels at the platforms provide information on the activity in the colony, and the seals breeding cycle. They also showcase historical information about the sealing industry that once existed in New Zealand.
Traihead coordinates: S 41 45.903 E 171 27.551
Parking coordinates: S 41 45.929 E 171 27.546
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