New beach, same friendly Moko

Moko delights young swimmers at Whakatane Heads in this picture taken by Jose Arthur of Christchurch for the <i>Herald&#39;s</i> summer holiday photo competition.

Whether Moko is thrilling or terrifying beach-goers, the attention-seeking bottlenose dolphin remains the summer's most photographed sea creature.

Amateur photographers who think their picture can top this shot of Moko's exuberant leap at Whakatane Heads have only one week left to send in their entries to the Herald's annual summer photography competition.

Moko's eccentricities attracted huge crowds when he moved north from Mahia to Gisborne this summer. He became so popular that the Waikanae Beach Surf Lifesaving Club and local council combined to employ guardians for him 10 hours a day.

The restless dolphin seemed to be seeking a new home when he followed a fishing boat around the East Cape to the Bay of Plenty.

Marine experts suggested he would return to populous beaches, and lately he has opted for the holiday spot at Ohope Beach.

Like other solitary, popular dolphins before him - Opo and Pelorus Jack - Moko's unpredictability has frustrated and even frightened swimmers and boaties.

He exhausted several kayakers by refusing to let them return to shore, bundled surfers off their boards, and startled fishing boat crews by chasing their boats and bumping the hulls.

But his minders in Mahia and Gisborne say he is still a playful, harmless dolphin, and that the real threat comes from over-eager humans desperate to interact with him.

His skin bears the scars of knocks from oars, boats and boards.

But whether he is a danger to others or endangered by receiving too much attention, Moko seems certain to remain a star for at least the rest of the summer.