A wandering seal paid an early morning visit to an Andersons Bay home yesterday.
Mrs Parker's husband Mal said the early morning visit ended up lasting about six hours.
''It was a comedy of errors.
''We have a tidal creek out the back and it went into the creek about 7.15am and wallowed around for a bit but then it was out again.''
The seal ''made itself at home'' in Mr Parker's vegetable garden, leaving to look at itself in an outdoor mirror only after it had made its mark, he said.
''It squashed all of my vegetables. Potatoes, carrots, radishes, all squashed!''
The metre-and-a-half-long creature ''waddled'' into the neighbouring property, causing Mr Parker to grab a shield-type device to coax it back into the creek.
While Department of Conservation coastal ranger Jim Fyfe provided assistance during the early hours of the visit, the seal's determination to relax at the property meant it proved difficult to budge.
Mr Fyfe said he was ''too tired to object'' to coaxing the troublesome seal from the deck when he received the call about 6.15am, but the seal was stubborn.
''He has been hanging out in the upper harbour for a while and I knew sooner or later he was going to go up the creek into Somerville St and, once up there, find a place to sun-out.''
It was the first such visit Mr Parker had received in 44 years of living in the property, and after six hours of chasing the seal
He concluded his creek, deck and garden were better empty.
''He's got his place; my veges have theirs.''
