RARE VISIT: A sperm whale was spotted near Mangatoetoe at Cape Palliser. PHOTO/ROSEMARY & KEITH RAYNER
A rare sighting of a sperm whale delighted tourists and residents at Mangatoetoe in Cape Palliser last Sunday.
Residents Rosemary and Keith Rayner have had a house there for almost 20 years and said they'd never seen a live sperm whale in the area before.
"It was quite unusual," said Mrs Rayner.
"I've seen dead ones before but I haven't seen one that close to the rocks, swimming.
"It came right into the rocks, it was quite strange, the seals went out to it and danced around it.
"It stayed around a good hour or two, then it swam out to sea and disappeared."
Mrs Rayner said lots of tourists had flocked to see the whale.
"Some people thought it could have been rubbing barnacles off on the rocks.
"It was really quite entertaining."
She said there were often other types of whales visiting but it was unusual to see a sperm whale.
They had seen other wildlife like humpback whales and dolphins in the area before.
"We get orcas off and on quite regularly, they come in quite close ... we've got a couple of sea elephants at the moment."
There were also plenty of seals and their pups around the coast, she said.
"The wild life here is quite impressive."
Sperm whales normally prefer deep water and are usually found offshore and in areas with submarine canyons, such as Kaikoura, where they're present all year round.
An adult can reach sizes of 11-18m in length.
Police have issued a warrant for the arrest of Mathew Karetu.