Being in the right place at the right time paid off for Whangarei Heads resident Andrea Robinson and her friends who came across a southern right whale basking in shallow waters at Smugglers Cove.
The whale, which was in the cove for several hours on Saturday, had been spotted in Auckland's Mechanics Bay a couple of days earlier.
Ms Robinson said it was an amazing experience for her and two friends to get so close to the creature.
![This southern right whale was seen basking in shallow waters at Smugglers Cove, in Whangarei Harbour, on Saturday.](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/IG7LL74JH63PQE2SQSK6RCCFVQ.jpg?auth=efa3c3dd7d9099f61b2b74a36af2fa850739c882a0833bc58ec88682f43898a3&width=16&height=12&quality=70&smart=true)
"We were doing the walk along Busby Head and coming down the hill into Smugglers about 9.30am and thought at first it was a rock, but then saw it move and realised it was a whale."