Sub-Antarctic dreams

Below the thunders of the upper deep,
Far, far beneath in the abysmal sea,
His ancient, dreamless, uninvaded sleep
The Kraken sleepeth: faintest sunlights flee
About his shadowy sides; above him swell
Huge sponges of millennial growth and height;
And far away into the sickly light,
From many a wondrous grot and secret cell
Unnumbered and enormous polypi
Winnow with giant arms the slumbering green.
There hath he lain for ages, and will lie
Battening upon huge sea worms in his sleep,
Until the latter fire shall heat the deep;
Then once by man and angels to be seen,
In roaring he shall rise and on the surface die.

Arnie is named after ‘Terminator Man,’ as he was a big heavy pup when he was born. He is now about 13 years old and weighs around 350 kg although he would be tricky to weigh! While a Gentle Giant, Arnie is still the undisputed boss of the Dunedin coastline.

Arnie is a New Zealand Sealion, also known as Hooker’s Sealion or Whakahao. These are the rarest – and arguably the biggest - of the world’s five species of sealion.

Visiting the Islands of the Sub-Antarctic can change your perspective on the world. Something about the 10-metre ocean swell, the rise and fall of the ship and the utter wildness of the Southern Ocean suggests this place could be the

…Edge of the World