Auckland's loose seal has a copycat further south, with another marine mammal washing up in Lower Hutt.
The second seal was spotted in the Lower Hutt suburb of Waiwhetu, after it made its way up the Waiwhetu stream and past the old Griffin's factory today.
Pictures tweeted of the seal show it spending a relaxed morning sunning itself on a riverbank near the Open Polytechnic campus.
The incident follows a "mammal hazard" in South Auckland this morning, where a seal made the rounds in suburban Papakura before being caught by emergency services and given to Department of Conservation (Doc) officers.
The seal, believed to be a fur seal, waddled its way into the middle of Coles Crescent, startling communters.
Commuter Michael Saxon said the sight of the animal had "freaked out" a few drivers.
"I was really surprised, I definitely wasn't expecting that," he said. "It was kind of just plodding along the road, it was heading towards the Papakura township. A few motorists were pulling over and freaking out."
He said the seal was enormous. "It was definitely the weirdest thing I've seen on the way to work - hands down."
Doc warned that all seals should be treated with caution.
"Although very charismatic, they are wild animals and should be treated with respect," they said. "In general seals and sea lions should be enjoyed from a distance without interference."
- additional reporting NZ Herald
