Homer the seal goes home

The seal who has been made a New Zealand fishing town his home for more than two weeks has finally gone back to the sea.

During his stay at Tologa Bay, close to the town of Gisborne, the two tonne seal proved a bit of a menace.

Called Homer, he used anything handy to scratch himself, including parked cars, crushing a number of them.

Barriers were erected to guide Homer towards the water. Once he was back in the sea, a gate was closed to prevent him coming back on land.

The crowds who went to the wharf to see Homer will be disappointed at the disappearance of a major tourist attraction.

But people who own property on the wharf will be relieved that their belongings are safe from the threat of being squashed.