January 13th 2015: Encounters

We had a great response from our story about playful sea lions last week. Most people wanted to know how often these interactions occured and what other species we encountered regularly in the water. It made me stop and think that we're actually pretty lucky to have so many weird and wonderful creatures right on our doorstep and playing in the same waves we spend our lives chasing.

We're possibly guilty even of taking it all for granted. How many other places in the world can you almost guarantee that you'll be eye to yellow-eye with a hoiho (Megadyptes antipodes)? Yet on any given dusk at Aramoana you'll be ogled by these inquisitive creatures as they fish around you and dart just beneath the surface. Sadly, the mainland population of the world's rarest penguin is in decline.

There would be very few of us who haven't become an object of play in the eyes of a sea lion (Phocarctos hookeri). If you were lucky enough to have had an encounter in spring then you may have been more of an object of desire. It's easy to misinterpret a boisterous sea lion's behaviour as aggfressive, but mostly these guys just want a play thing. You're it.

One seal you don't want to cross is the leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx) – often seen on the North Coast, these beautiful creatures are supreme hunters. They'll usually ignore surfers and they don't fuss over crowded beaches either, but they have been known to drown humans before.

A lot less ominous is the Hector's dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori) that you'll find on the North Coast – especially when there is a swell running as they love to surf as much as the rest of us. They're the smallest marine dolphins in the world (up to 1.4m long), they look like a cartoon character and they have an endearing character to match. Estimates put the total population at about 7400 and declining, but its North Island relative, the Maui dolphin, is down to just 50 with experts predicting the species to be extinct by 2030. Hector's are happy to share waves with us and love the comotion of a busy lineup. They're also resident to Curio Bay in the Catlins.

Then there are the fly overs of the Royal Albatross, Buller's Albatross, the blue penguin encounters and, if you're extremely lucky, Orca and whale sightings. Yep, this place is alive ...

See you at the beach ... Derek

PS Want more than just one hit of Box of Light a week? Follow us on on Instagram @boxoflightnz and Facebook.