Opo inspires memorial gala

Opo played freely with the children of Hokianga Harbour in the summer of 1955-56.

Fifty years after she died, Opo the dolphin still holds a special place in the heart of Northlanders.

Today is the 50th anniversary of her death. Next month the small town of Opononi will celebrate the life and times of its famous dolphin during a gala event on the foreshore.

Opo, a bottlenose dolphin, arrived in the Hokianga Harbour in 1955 and became famous for her fearless contact with humans.

Every day during the summer of 1955-56 the dolphin played among swimmers at Opononi beach, letting children ride on her back and performing for the crowds.

Opo would toss balls and beer bottles from her nose and catch them again, leap into rings made by children holding hands and was smart enough to stay clear of anyone who played rough.

One local who remembers that magical summer is former policeman, now Opononi publican, Ian Leigh-McKenzie.

"Most of the kids around my age went and played with her and most of the locals who were here then remember her," he said.

Mr Leigh-McKenzie and his schoolmates got to play with Opo daily. Pakanae School was closed for renovations and classes were temporarily relocated to the Opononi Hall, directly across the road from the beach.

"We could go swimming every lunchtime and that's when we mainly played with Opo."

Sadly, Opo died at the end of that summer. She was found dead at nearby Kouto on the very day a government order protecting dolphins was due to become law.

It is widely believed she was killed by a blast of dynamite illegally used for fishing.

The Hokianga Museum at Omapere and the Opononi Resort Hotel are displaying photographs by New Zealand artist and one-time Hokianga resident Eric Lee-Johnston captured during Opo's stay.

A larger display of Lee-Johnston's work, Shadow on the Land Te Hokianga, is showing at Whangarei Art Museum.

The memorial gala at Opononi on April 1 will include waka ama, stalls, performances and displays of Opo memorabilia.

- NORTHERN ADVOCATE