Richard Robinson visited the sick and injured turtles being rehabilitated at Auckland's Kelly Tarlton's.
The turtles are most commonly found suffering from dehydration, cold shock or starvation. Some have had missing limbs, wounds, infections, or have ingested a fish hook.
Image 1 of 6: A rehabilitated green turtle at Kelly Tarlton's Sea Life Aquarium is satellite tagged in preparation for its release back into the wild. Photo / Richard Robinson
All seven species of marine turtles found in New Zealand waters are endangered, with some on the verge of extinction.
Once they're healthy again, after about one to two years, the turtles are released back into the sea with a tag so they can be monitored.
