A huge thank you to David and Sarah McKay for the amazing tour that David took three SHEAF families on this week! The kids had a great time and we’re so grateful for this opportunity! I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say it really was the chance of a lifetime—I doubt we’ll ever see that many happy, healthy and relaxed wild animals up close again, or such a variety. We took up their offer, made earlier this year, of a guided tour on the McKay family’s private beach, to visit the beautiful wildlife that they protect and nurture there, including sea lions, little blue penguins, yellow-eyed penguins and fur seals.
We were all so impressed and had an absolutely fantastic (and very educational, of course) time! Because this is private land, the animals that live there are protected from the abuse that animals on public land can be exposed to, so don’t seem to have much fear of humans at all. David’s penguins are so relaxed that you can get within a metre or two of them, and they seem to quite happily pose for photos (not to mention breed like rabbits)!
A young little blue penguin, waiting in the nest for mum to bring home some dinner.
A fur seal, having a lovely scratch on its preferred relaxation spot—a big rock.I know I can speak for the other two families that visited with mine when I say that we HIGHLY recommend this tour, and we can’t thank the McKays enough for their generosity! We did the walking option—there’s a substantial (but manageable) hill to walk up on the return, so choose the driving option if you don’t like hills!
A variable oystercatcher and her extremely vulnerable nest.If you want to make contact with other families who’d like to go, email me and I’ll do some matchmaking. To read about Sarah and David’s lovely offer again, go here: http://sheafdunedin.blogspot.com/2010/10/papanui-private-beach-wildlife-tour.html
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