“There was quite a number of them but not the most we’ve had.”
Even though it was pretty common to get dolphins visiting the bay, the experience never stopped creating a buzz.
“It was pretty awesome,” Hoffmann said. “It’s always a really special time whenever we get the whales or the dolphins through.”
In the past, he has watched on as dolphins hunted fish for long periods of time but this latest pod appeared to be “ambling their way south”.
He could see the dolphins dive below the water before popping back up for air.
Interestingly, two other locals had posted photos online of dolphins in the area on the first day of the month for both July and June, Hoffmann said.
Department of Conservation (DoC) information stated common dolphins have a very distinctive colouration. Their criss-cross or hour-glass type pattern centred on the dolphin’s flank help identify which species they belong to.
“Common dolphins may form enormous schools of several thousand individuals... This species is abundant but precise population estimates are largely unknown.”
The common dolphin, a regular to Northland and the Hauraki Gulf, tends to remain a few kilometres from the coast.
DoC is currently assessing the impacts of tourism on common dolphins in the Bay of Islands.