[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIsn-gPhiDo?list=UUB5bJv3jXOXtBYd9xNR_Jtg&hl=en_US&w=560&h=315]

Video transcript:

Look a seal pup in the face and try to restrain yourself from audibly saying “awwww.” It’s just not possible. Well, at least it wasn’t possible for our team on a recent trip to the Ohau Stream Walk outside of Kaikoura, New Zealand.

Just north of Ohau Point seal colony is Ohau Stream where mother seals nurse their young. A leisurely ten-minute walk from the car park takes you along the stream to Ohau Waterfall. Sure, the flora here is beautiful, but the seal pups steal the show.

Baby seals swim in the stream and under the waterfall, at times seemingly showing off for the tourists lurking at the water’s edge with cameras poised to capture the pups’ cuteness. We were a part of this camera-laden crew and captured this video footage for your weekly dose of cute animals.

These pups you’re looking at were born in November and December of last year on the rocky seashore near Ohau Stream and come to the stream in April. The pups play in the stream’s safety for days at a time but must also venture to the stream’s edge at the coast to feed on their mother’s nourishing milk. From April until October, in this time frame when our AUIP team was there, the pups explore the surrounding area, swimming and socializing in the stream and the waterfall. Wintertime can see over 200 pups playing together in the area. By springtime, the numbers decrease as the pups are weaned at approximately 10 months of age and then they stay on the coastline to hunt for themselves.

If you’re in the area, then seeing the adorable seal pups is a must! We can’t recommend it enough as a great activity in the Kaikoura area. Thanks, and enjoy your trip to Kaikoura from all of us at AUIP.