Shark on the way to new home after lively revival

By TONY GEE and ANNE BESTON

A "dopey" but deadly tiger shark came back to life yesterday, minutes after children had been playing near it in the water.

Last night, the shark, a relatively rare find in New Zealand waters, was on its way to Auckland's Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World by truck.

It was accidentally caught in a net at Otamure Bay, north of Whananaki, by campers staying at a nearby Department of Conservation motor camp.

They dragged the shark into shallow water, thinking it was dead. Tutukaka commercial fisherman Scott Rankin was called in to identify the species.

When the campers realised the shark was alive, they put it back into deeper water after attaching buoys to it so they could track it.

DoC motorcamp caretaker Rod Craig said the buoys meant tabs could be kept on the 2m shark until transport to Kelly Tarlton's was available.

It was lifted from the sea and lowered into the truck's aerated water for its southward journey.

"It had been quite dopey - it wasn't bustling to get away," Mr Craig said.

"They're very resilient and it should survive okay."

He said tiger sharks were among the most dangerous of sharks.

"They'll attack anything," said Mr Craig.