🦭 Kaikōura’s Ultimate Free Seal-Spotting Guide (Local’s Edition!)

📍 Historic Chimney 🌟 Rating: ★★★★★ ✔️ Few tourists, MANY seals ✔️ Up-close encounters ✔️ Moody rocky backdrops Find the "RAHUI" sign near the peninsula turnoff! Wander the tidal pools to discover sunbathing seal families—every angle looks like a BBC documentary frame. 📸 📍 Peninsula Walkway 🌟 Rating: ★★★★☆ ✔️ Crashing waves ✔️ Action shots ✔️ Golden-hour magic Park and walk straight to the coast! 3-5 PM is prime time: seals surfing waves in backlight, with spray glowing like liquid gold. Must bring telephoto lens! 🌊 📍 Seal Colony (Tourist Spot) 🌟 Rating: ★★★☆☆ Safe for families (railings + easy paths), but seals here are distant and sleepy. Skip if you want wild vibes! ⚠️ Survival Guide (Learned the Hard Way!) ❶ Stay 10m back—bites send people to the ER! ❷ Never feed them—human food = deadly for seals. ❸ Let "sleeping" seals lie—they’re night hunters! ❹ Wear grippy shoes—algae-covered rocks = slippery! ❺ Best times: Sunrise/sunset (±2 hours) for active seals. 📸 Pro Photography Tips ▫️ Pups are cute but hands-off! Use zoom lenses. ▫️ Low tide? Check rock crevices for peek-a-boo seal moms & babies. ▫️ Cloudy days: Perfect for "nap time" portraits. ▫️ Sunny days: Catch their glossy, water-beaded fur. Kaikōura’s coast is nature’s theater—front-row seats to wild marine life! 🎭 #NewZealand #WildKaikōura #SealSpotting #WildlifePhotography #TravelResponsibly