Famed Ōhau Point seal colony lookout open again after 2016 earthquake

Thursday, 18 October 2018

A new safe stopping area has opened at Ōhau Point, where fur seals like to soak up the sun. (Video first published October 2018)

Travellers driving between Kaikōura and Blenheim this long weekend can finally stop at Ōhau Point, where juvenile seals now trek over rockfall to play in their beloved waterfall nursery.

The waterfall walkway is still closed due to quake damage, but people can spot young fur seals along the coast as the 'safe stopping area' opens on Thursday.

There will be space for 20 cars to park up, about 25 kilometres north of Kaikōura, so travellers can check out the colossal changes, two years on from the 2016 earthquake.

NZ Transport Agency owner interface manager Colin Knaggs said Ōhau Point was one of the most damaged parts of State Highway 1, as more than 100,000 cubic metres of loose rock and debris covered the hillside.

**READ MORE:

More than 100,000 cubic metres of rock and debris covered SH1 after the 2016 earthquake.

* November 14 earthquake: More than 40 seals killed in SH1 rebuild

* Faultlines: Could Marlborough be the next Kaikōura?

The Ōhau Stream walkway was popular with tourists before it closed after the 2016 earthquake.

* DOC finds owner of dog filmed attacking fur seal**

'It's been an incredible feat of engineering to get to this stage,' Knaggs said.

The sea wall was still coming together at Ōhau Point when the highway reopened in December.

The North Canterbury Transport Infrastructure Recovery (NCTIR) team used helicopters with monsoon buckets to clear the cliff face, before abseilers secured the bluff with mesh, and the highway was rebuilt on a seawall, with protection from future earthquakes and stormy weather.

Despite the changes, protected fur seals continued to sunbathe along the coast, and baby seal numbers last summer were on par with previous years.

Fur seals still frequent the coast around Ōhau Point post-quake.

Department of Conservation south Marlborough operations manager Phil Bradfield said there was still a high risk of rockfall at the Ōhau Stream walkway, and the landowners were still deciding whether to rebuild the track.

In some parts, rockfall had left the track and stream unrecognisable, Bradfield said.

The Ōhau Point safe stopping area opened on Thursday, ahead of the long Labour Day weekend.

'There is still the odd young seal accessing the waterfall, but not many at the moment, and that's mainly because of all the activity with the road rebuild, big machinery and lots of people,' Bradfield said.

The Ōhau Stream walkway was 'a pretty amazing spot', popular with 'a lot of people including international tourists', and had won tourism awards by popular vote, Bradfield said.

Fur seals are a protected species and tourists should keep their distance from the sharp-toothed animals.

But there were plenty of seals along the coast and at the Kaikōura Peninsula on Fyffe Quay, just south of the township.

'We have had reports recently of people not behaving appropriately around seals so it's important to remind people to stay at least 20 metres away from them,' Bradfield said.

'We've had people try to touch them or get close enough for a selfie, but they are wild animals and they can move very quickly on land, even though they appear docile, and they are carnivores with very sharp teeth.'

Knaggs said the safe stopping area would get a makeover early next year, with plantings and cultural design elements to be developed with help from iwi artists and carvers.

It would be the first of several between Clarence and Oaro, he said.

NCTIR network operations manager Tresca Forrester said people travelling between Christchurch and Blenheim should allow plenty of time for their trip, as there were still stop-go sections and lower speed limits.

'We're still working hard along the coast to make the road safer and more resilient for the future, and many parts, including Ōhau Point, are still a construction zone.

People could check travel times before leaving at the NZTA website.

Speed limits around Kaikōura

NZTA has suggested new speed limits for State Highway 1 between the Clarence River to the north, and the Conway Flats to the south.

An emergency speed limit of 80kmh has been in place since the highway reopened in December last year. Most of the highway was previously 100kmh.

But NZTA principal traffic and safety engineer Tony Spowart said the emergency speed limit would shortly expire, so the agency was reviewing the permanent speed limits.

The agency proposed 80kmh between Waipapa Bay and Hapuku, and from Peketa to Conway Flats, and for a 60kmh limit through the Hundalee Hills.

'Many of these sections of highway are bounded by railway and coast and there are a large number of high-risk curves. There is also additional risk with many people wanting to stop in the various amenity areas on this picturesque road,' Spowart said.

Four people were killed and 15 people seriously injured in those areas between 2012 and 2016.

The agency's public consultation would end on Friday, November 2. People can have their say by completing a survey on the NZTA website.