Waipapa Point

Waipapa Point is in the Catlins, east of Invercargill.

There's a good-sized car park. You can see the lighthouse in the distance. Not too far to walk.

If you want to see sea lions, this is the place to visit.

Waipapa Point is also the site of the worst NZ civilian shipwreck. In 1881, the S.S. Tararua, bound for Melbourne via Bluff, struck a reef. She was carrying 151 passengers and crew—only 20 survived. Many of the dead were taken to Fortrose, but as it soon proved impractical to transport them so far, 64 people were buried in a specially created cemetery, known as the Tararua Acre. The site is a short walk across paddocks from this spot.

There are instructions on how to remain safe around sea lions.

Before we explored the beach, we walked up to the lighthouse.

Notice the interesting paving around the base.

Then we went down the far side onto the beach.

The "sand" here was actually tiny pebbles—a little like the pebbles you would put into a fish tank.

We walked back around the corner of the beach . . .

. . . and there they were. Three sea lions putting on a display for everyone. It was a bit sandier here.

Eventually one decided to head for the water.

And the others followed.

Look at this magnificent creature.

I'm hoping you'll be able to see these video clips. Apologies for the movement. I was so cold, I was shaking. I was rugged up with scarf, hat, windbreaker, etc., but the wind was so chilly my face was starting to ache!

In the videos, two of the sea lions are moving off into the water. Then the larger male decides to follow them. He looks so big and heavy and seems to struggle to get where he wants to go. He makes it in the end!

Here's a photo of the last one in the water. He looks like a rock—not so easy to see. But that's a sea lion, I promise! The blackest "rock", almost in the middle of the photo.

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