Moko: a legend or pest in the making?

Locals and tourists can find Moko at his favourite buoy at Waikanae Beach, or in the Tatapouri harbour, Gisborne. Photo / Gisbourne Herald

He's a hunter, a gatherer, a surfer and a saviour. But others will have you believe Moko the "friendly" dolphin can also be a bully, a thief and a sexual predator - a mischievous mammal who's particularly keen on women.

Whatever the tales, one thing is clear: the feel-good story of Moko - which has generated headlines worldwide - is starting to turn a little ugly and may not have such a happy ending.

In Gisborne, the locals have been bracing themselves this week for the influx of holidaymakers keen to mix it up with Moko in the waters off Waikanae Beach or in the local harbour.

They'll want to enjoy similar experiences to the one he gave Gisborne surfer Pete Clark at nearby Wainui Beach.

The dolphin swam alongside Clark as he caught wave after wave, presenting his dorsal fin so the surfer could hitch a ride back out to sea. Moko was like a machine and for Clark it was the most exciting surf of his life.

Others have Moko to thank for dinner. Mahia woman Rosana Ratapu was gifted a big snapper by Moko earlier in the year and, more recently, Gisborne fisherman Brent Wooster was given a whooping 12.6kg snapper. Wooster's fish was the heaviest snapper weighed-in by the Tatapouri Fishing club in 2009.

Moko is one of only 91 dolphins - nine of them in New Zealand - ever recorded to live a solitary existence, with records going back as far as 109AD.

In many cases the solitary dolphins are the bottlenose species, including Opo who was in Hokianga in the 1950s and Pelorus Jack who plied Cook Strait from 1888 to 1912. Moko has been in Gisborne since September, after spending two years in Mahia.

At least 14 solitary dolphins have died because of their interaction with humans - and already there are danger signs for Moko.

He's been hit by swimmers as they've tried to retrieve their surfboards while another group of youths were seen attacking him.

The local council is now clamping down on the hijinks - swimmers risk a $100 fine if they take a dip with Moko and the Department of Conservation has formally warned that swimming with Moko is now more dangerous as he becomes older and more aggressive. The council says it needs to keep Moko, and the public, safe.

Department of Conservation ranger Jamie Quirk has spent almost three years following Moko, and learning his ways. "I look at it two ways - he is either really clever or really dumb," says Quirk. "But whatever, we are extremely lucky to have one of nature's great entertainers in our waters.

"The other side of this also means we, as a community, have got something we have to protect. We are going to be gauged by the outcome of Moko being here, not just by New Zealand but by the rest of the world.

"There has been media interest from all over the globe. This is not just a Gisborne story, it is a New Zealand story. If something unfortunate were to happen, the whole world would have an opinion."

With Moko's fame rising, Gisborne people have taken on the responsibility of minding him, says Quirk.

"Members of the public are starting to tell people how to behave and doing a lot of self policing, which is great.

"We need to keep an eye out. One of the worst things that can happen is for people to encircle Moko. Not allowing him to have an escape route can make panic him and try to get out ... that is when someone can get hurt."

Swimming with the 2.4m dolphin is unnerving for some people, says Quirk. "Of course it is ... would you be willing to get in the water if Moko was a 3m shark?

"The big thing is, he is a wild animal. While his behaviour is predictable to a point, there are still a lot of things we don't know or understand. With any wild animal there is that element of unpredictability and that element of risk.

"On top of that, you are in the water, and there are other people around so that can add more risk. There is a whole lot more to think about than just the dolphin."

Moko's movements are watched closely by DoC: the dolphin can go days without having a big feed, says Quirk.

"When he is in the river, he snacks on things opportunistically. Then every week or 10 days or so he goes away and has a big feed."

Moko first appeared in Mahia at Easter in 2007. He befriended local divers, swimmers and boaties and was named after the nearby Mokotahi headland.

He gained worldwide media attention when he rescued two pygmy sperm whales after they stranded in 2008. DoC ranger Malcolm Smith, who had been working for hours to save the stranded pair, says Moko must have heard the whales' distress calls.

Moko appeared out of nowhere and guided them to safer waters.

Moko again hit headlines last winter. Starved of human attention, he got over-eager when playing with a swimmer in Mahia.

The lone woman swimmer ended up exhausted and clinging to a buoy for life as Moko tried to push her further out to sea. A boat had to come to rescue the woman.

Then, all hell broke loose a month ago, when a TVNZ Close Up crew visited Moko, and he appeared particularly keen on the female reporter.

At the time, Hawke's Bay environmentalist Dave Head rubbished reports that Moko was a sexual predator. "How come no one has seen him with his willy exposed? No one."

Former Olympian kayaking Alan Thompson said being in the water with Moko was a privilege. He had taken his 14-year-old daughter swimming with Moko. "Flutter boards are his favourite toys and, of course, he is going to try to take it. It's plain common sense."

MOKO "MINDER" and Waikanae Beach senior lifeguard Alex McGregor said while Moko was mischievous and always after attention, he would never endanger the people he swam with.

McGregor is one of four senior surf lifesavers who have been employed to look after Moko's welfare during the holiday period.

"He is called 'lone ranger'. Dolphins don't behave like this often and that's why he is so rare and so awesome.

"He can get aggressive and has given a few people some good tail whips, but he is just playing.

"He does show more interest in females, and for some reason doesn't like some people, but he really is the most docile creature.

"We never really worry. Moko just wants to hang out and play."

Where the dolphin frolics depends a lot on the weather, says McGregor. When the surf is big, Moko heads into the city's rivers - on his first trip, hundreds of people lined the banks to watch him play.

On days when the weather is bad, he likes to swim in the harbour, often following the tug and pilot boats out to sea and back again.

When the weather is at its best, Moko is sure to be found at Waikanae Beach.

In the mornings, he heads out with waka ama crews and surf lifesavers during their trainings and in the evenings, Moko spends time with families who are taking a dip in shallow waters.

"Moko has two temperaments. He is either aggressive and making his own fun or he is docile and willing to play fetch with people for hours," says McGregor.

"Some days we do have to calm a lot of people down because getting wound up doesn't help.

"We have had to pull maybe 40-odd people into the boat because they got scared. Moko hadn't done anything threatening, but people see the fin and freak out.

"A lot of other swimmers don't realise our job is to first and foremost protect Moko. We have to make sure there is a constant escape route for him and that people don't get tunnel vision and focus all their efforts on him and forget their families."

The "minders", who tail Moko in an IRB, had their fingers crossed this week that he did not swim further down the beach to hang out with the thousands of Rhythm and Vines party-goers.

International dolphin expert Wade Doak believes Moko now needs the human interaction and attention.

"If authorities think the problems raised by solo dolphins will go away by ignoring them ... the history of solo dolphins indicates quite the opposite.

"Like small children, if ignored, they find ways of commanding attention. Aihe stranded herself eight times near Onekaka in Golden Bay.

"She even got a sunburnt back and it is believed she did this to get attention."

It is important people understand Moko and his behavioural patterns, says Doak.

"The public needs to know [his favourite buoy at Waikanae Beach] will be his resting zone. If he is to remain in the area without ongoing problems, this zone needs to be respected.

"When dolphins rest they dive in a regular pattern; you can time the periods between breaths exactly.

"Sometimes they rest at the surface, but it is more usual for them to dive and hover."

Fingers are crossed in Gisborne that nothing will happen to their "celebrity" dolphin.

Many hope that he will some day reunite with a pod, but whatever his future holds, there are now plenty of people who are looking out for his safety.