Fur Seals in New Zealand

The Albatross

Shy Mollymawk (A Lesser Albatross) (Thalassarche cauta steadi)

Taking off

Preparing for splashdown

(note the feet coming out of flight position and dropping)

Winner of the prize

Below: Some of the battles over right to the food. Even though the fights loked very fierce, especially with the very hooked beaks and sheer size and strength of these birds, none of them appeared harmed. After the battles, the victor would spread out to about 2/3 rds wingspan and move back to the food, often holding wings out in a size/dominance and territory display, as can been seen in the above photo. I was close enough to several of these that I was soaked from the sprays of water-- seeing a bird of this size quite literally *run on water* at another bird, sometimes stepping on others in the path, was an amazing sight. In the last photo, you can see that they will raise up so high out of the water with massive webbed feet and wings to literally stand on the surface like a person walking on a full-wave waterbed.

Kiakora, New Zealand 2

The two larger birds are Wandering Albatross

(Diomedea antipodensis gibsoni)

They get to around 3.2 metres (10.5 feet) from wingtip to wingtip and weigh in at 8 kilograms. (17 lbs)

Salvins albatross (Thalassarche salvini)

Endemic to New Zealand. Long considered to be a subspecies of the Shy Albatross.

These are mollymawks, i.e smaller albatross. I have been attempting to find an estimate os the size, but cannot find a good one. From in person, I would guestimate apx. 6 feet wingtip to wingtip.

Salvins albatross (Thalassarche salvini)

A fight over food between two Wandering Albatross.

These are females who most likely had young they were feeding back

at the nests.

The view as we were pushing off to go out to the albatross.

Kiakora, New Zealand

Kiakora, New Zealand-

I have to say that this is one of the most serene and beautiful places that I have ever been. It gets inside you, and in the best possible ways. You may leave and go somewhere else, but it never leaves you.

Wandering Albatross

The clouds over the coast

South Pacific Dolphins that came by

This is a great place for whitebaiting, and several locals frequnt here daily. You can also see in the distance why Kiakora is called "The Land of the Long White Cloud"

Waves breaking into the limestone stacks on the black pebble beach.

A Red Billed Gull that was flying overhead while we were out on the boat. They are one of 3 gulls in the area.

Another view of the harbour, the long white cloud and limestone...

Sea kelp over in the seal rockery. Each blade of kelp is about 1cm thick and heavy like wet leather.

Small pod of South Pacific Porpise

Wandering Albatross in flight. The Wandering Albatross is the largest of all albatross, with a wingspan reaching 3.6 meters (apx 12 ft). This one was close to that, but not quite. I would say she had a wingspan of around 11 ft.

A wonderful local woman coming in from whitebaiting. As she so wonderfully put it: "It's bloody cold me honeys!" as the high that day was 6C, I was in full agreement with her, without going in the water.