KEY POINTS:
Seal vs Eel: A few weeks ago Noel Knight came across this spectacular wildlife scene unfolding at Owhiro Bay, Wellington. "I grabbed my camera and started to walk along the 4WD track around the coast. There was a flock of gulls working, which was unusual, and when I got closer I saw a seal about 50m offshore coming to the surface and then thrashing its head. It had an eel, about 1m long, in its mouth and when it thrashed its head a chunk of the eel would fly through the air and that's what the gulls were waiting for. The eel would sink and the seal would finish its mouthful then go and get the eel again and come to the surface to thrash its head and take another chunk."
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Bryce Lamont can top that fishing yarn. "Rock fishing on Great Barrier Island, we landed a fantastic snapper in no time at all. We wrapped it in a wet towel and placed it above the rocks in the tree-line, thinking/hoping gulls wouldn't be able to disturb it. Returned to fishing and got the second one using the same method ... but when we went to put it up at the tree-line we noticed the first fish had gone. We looked about and could see no sign of it, so decided to keep the second with us and return fishing. Just as we went to walk away we heard a rustling in the shrubbery, and on investigation found our fish, horizontally making its way up the hill into the bush, on the back of a large crab underneath. The crab tasted almost as good as the two fish, and we two boys' grins are still just as big today!"
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Riding on the coat-tails of this year's World Cup, couture's Karl Lagerfeld has come up with a black-and-white rubber rugby ball for Chanel. Though Chanel is better known for victory on the catwalks than in stadiums, the fashion house regularly produces skis for the very glam or label-conscious and in past years has launched a sports item each season - a scooter and soccer ball last year, for instance. Is the ¬130 ($230) ball for real? "Yes", said a spokeswoman. "You can kick it. It will last."
