A seal that's been calling Auckland home over the past two days has been taken back to sea far away from the city.
It's the second time the seal's been moved and the Department of Conservation (DOC) hopes it's the last.
The Papakura Uwash is where cars usually come to be cleaned, but today it was the home of the male adult seal.
DOC's Yuin Khai Foong says it's "perfectly normal" for seals to come out at this time of year.
"We don't usually expect them to be in the middle of a carwash… [they're] usually out on rocks and things," he says.
This seal is a repeat offender. DOC believes it's the same one they had to lead back to the water and away from a residential area yesterday.
Today, hundreds of blubberneckers came to Papakura's Uwash to see it, some of whom took photos while others brought food.
It was a busy day for the carwash but unfortunately with no one cleaning their car, it wasn't good for business.
"No business any day of the week is not a good time, but it is what it is and it's nature," says Uwash owner Kirit Makan.
Eventually DOC and Auckland Zoo staff managed to corner the seal into a cage and load him onto a ute.
They drove him to Karioitahi Beach in south Auckland, where they dropped him five kilometres down the west coast beach – far away from people and far away from the city, where DOC staff hope he'll never visit again.
3 News
source: newshub archive
