Sandfly Beach
We went wildlife viewing at the beautiful sandfly beach. We were able to see several New Zealand sea lions or pakake. They were sleeping on the beach. They rest here on the shores to rest from deep sea diving. These are the rarest sea lions in the world. They were nearly hunted to extinction 200 years ago.
We also got a few glimpses of the yellow-eyed penguins or hōiho. These penguins are endemic to New Zealand and perhaps the rarest of all penguins. They are listed as an endangered species. We saw two up in the grass (fuzzy phone picture) and could hear them calling. Their name on Maori, hōiho, means noisey shooter. *the good picture I got from another visitor with a telephoto lens*