Shark the talk of Takapuna

By ANNE BESTON

It was only a small great white but it made a big impression on beach-goers at one of Auckland's most popular swimming spots.

"Everyone was talking about it at work. I certainly won't go out as far as I usually do," said 20-year-old Elizabeth Sherpa, of Takapuna, as she emerged from a swim at Takapuna Beach on Saturday.

But her 24-year-old brother, Simon, was more philosophical.

"I've been swimming here for 20 years and I'll keep on swimming here. If you're going to go, you might as well go on a nice sunny day."

However, he seemed to have a moment of doubt when he checked the water.

"There aren't that many people out there, are there?

"Still, I guess everyone's Christmas shopping."

Two North Shore fishermen caught the 2.6m, 225kg juvenile white pointer, also known as the great white shark, in a snapper net 300m off the beach last week.

It was probably five to 10 years old, according to experts.

The fishermen failed to revive the shark and towed it back out to sea.



Luke Cline, 20, a regular surfer at Takapuna, gazed thoughtfully out to sea when asked whether he thought it was safe to go into the water.

"There's obviously something going on.

"My girlfriend and I saw a white pointer off the boat ramp last year and they're not all that common. Maybe it's the tides or something."

He was keen to point out that the only reason he was not swimming on such a hot, sunny day was because he had a sore foot.

Paul Conradie, 35, said he was used to reports of sharks in his native South Africa but had not heard about this one.

"So thanks for telling me. Now I'll have to worry about it."

Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World aquarium curator Andrew Christie said that there had always been sharks off Takapuna Beach and the public had nothing to worry about.

Takapuna's juvenile white pointer was about half the size of two monsters of the same species spotted off Gisborne and the eastern Bay of Plenty in recent weeks.

Herald Online Marine