By PHILIP ENGLISH and NZPA
Sightings of fur seals in the Waitemata Harbour and on East Coast beaches this winter have prompted the Department of Conservation to warn people to treat the animals cautiously.
In addition to the seals, more common off Auckland's West Coast, a Hookers or New Zealand sea lion,
a threatened species usually at home in the deep south, has been reported off the Coromandel Peninsula.
DoC said seals had strong bites and carried infectious diseases.
Although seals or just-weaned seal pups might look exhausted when they came ashore, seals did not strand - they just needed a rest.
The department has warned people not to allow their children to touch seals following a recent incident on a Hawkes Bay beach.
A woman, who had placed her young daughter on a live seal to take a photograph, became angry when stopped by a conservation officer, said DoC Hawkes Bay district manager Catherine Tiffen.
Ms Tiffen said that although seals were beautiful, they were also wild animals and could be dangerous.
"The mother didn't think she was doing anything wrong, but she was actually putting her baby's life in danger.
"A seal's jaw is three times stronger than that of a dog, so if one bites you, look out."
Seals also carried diseases.
"A lot of people, especially kids, think seals are cute and want to pat them, but you can get very ill if you touch them," she said.
"Sealers in the 1800s would get an infection from a cut or scratch on the seal's skin and be in so much pain they'd try to cut off the infected part of their body - hands, fingers - so it wouldn't hurt any more."
Ms Tiffen said people often called DoC to report seals being stranded on the beach, but this was wrong. People should not throw water over seals or try to push them back into the sea.
"Seals aren't like whales, they come ashore for a rest.
"You could run the risk of drowning a very tired seal."
