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An almost unheard-of visit from an elusive beaked whale has conservationists torn between rejoicing about the rare guest and fretting for its safety.
A gray's beaked whale has made a temporary home in the shallow waters off the Whangaparaoa Peninsula, confounding experts who say the deep-sea, squid-hunting whales are almost never seen near shore unless they are dead or dying.
Conservationists from the whale protection group Project Jonah and the Department of Conservation have no idea why the whale has decided to hang around in the shallows north of Auckland.
They are keen to study it but fear too many curious onlookers could drive the visitor in to shore.
Te Papa marine mammal specialist Anton van Helden said yesterday that he had studied beaked whales for 20 years and never seen one alive. "This is the first record that I know of of an animal frequenting a fairly shallow coastal beach for any period of time."
Project Jonah chief executive Kimberly Muncaster said the whale appeared to be young and underweight and was far from the deep ocean where it would normally hunt and roam. The 4m-long creature had been mistaken for a dolphin by some locals because of its long beak and dark grey body.
"The longer it stays in the area the greater the risk of it becoming injured by passing boats, kayaks and jet skis or stranding," said Ms Muncaster.
It is illegal to swim with whales in New Zealand waters and boaties are being reminded to move slowly and stay at least 50m away.
