“Two great whites were seen in the harbour yesterday by our local kids swimming quite close to the wharf,” the person wrote on Tuesday.
“Thought I better post before everyone lets their tamariki go swimming.”
DoC confirmed sharks have been seen in the Kāwhia Harbour in recent weeks.
“It is not unusual for more sharks to be seen along our coastlines at this time of year as waters start warming up,” it posted to Facebook.
“They often come into harbours in search of food and are attracted to recreational fishing vessels using berley.”
And it issued advice to the public to stay safe around the dangerous species.
“Avoid swimming in areas where sharks have recently been seen and if you do see a great white shark while swimming you should quickly and calmly get out of the water.”
Last month a commercial diver was killed in a shark attack near the Chatham Islands.
Auckland Museum marine biology curator Clinton Duffy told Newstalk ZB almost all fatal shark attacks in New Zealand have been by great whites.
“They are an apex predator. Once they reach 3m long, they start to feed on marine mammals,” he said.
“They are a very formidable predator and one of the few sharks around that are big enough to take on a human being.”
Great whites are a protected species in New Zealand.
DoC asks people to report any sightings or accidental captures by emailing sharks@doc.govt.nz or by calling 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468).
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