SEAL AT MARATOTO

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 60, Issue 4342, 11 October 1950, Page 5

SEAL AT MARATOTO

'LIVING IN HIKUTA-lA’ STREAM FIRST SEEN ON SUNDAY What is thought to be a species of seal (has been attracting tbe notice of the resid«nte of Hikutaia in the Hakutaia creek in the Maratoto valley tneair Mr Te Iri’s. property. The animal was first noticed by a youth, Tuku Iri, during the week-end in a big pond some 50 feet long m the Hikutaia

creek and ion Sunday and again on Monday and Tuesday a large number of people viewed the seal in itthe creek.

It -shows no (signs of any in jury and is estimated to be somewhere

between (five feet and eight feet in 'length. Those iwho have it give different 'Opinions regarding its size. The animal is quite quiet and spends much of its time basking on a sandbank at the edge of the pool. When approached it usually di veg back into the pool,, but has permitted some visitors to get close enough -to it to touch it.

The head-m aster of the Hiku taia school, Mr B. A. Kelly, -took the senior pupils to see the seal on Monday and he describes it as having a grey back, whitish underside imd a yellow breast with brown spots on it.