Straying dolphin may be on its OE

The first sighting of a live Hector's dolphin in Wellington waters has led Conservation Department staff to believe it may have been imitating a human rite of passage the great OE.

The adult dolphin, possibly accompanied by a juvenile, excited department staff on Somes/Matiu Island last Saturday, and again on Wednesday, when it was noticed swimming close to the island.

"It's almost like having a kakapo turning up in your backyard," department spokesman Peter Simpson said.

It was a "real surprise" to see the small mammal in Wellington Harbour because Hector's dolphins had never before been seen in the area, though a dead one washed up on Petone beach in 1978.

The Hector's dolphin, an endangered species, is usually seen around the South Island but is uncommon, with about only 7000 left.

There was "no way of knowing" why the dolphin in Wellington Harbour was so far away from home, but it could have just been "doing something different, doing its OE".

Mr Simpson said there was a slim chance it could be the even-rarer sub-species of Hector's the Maui dolphin of which there are only about 110 living along the North Island's west coast.

Mr Simpson said department staff were excited at news of the rare sighting, and photos taken by onlookers this week could be used to identify individual dolphins with the help of a national database.

Mr Simpson said he believed the dolphin or dolphins would be fine despite being a long way from home and its pod.

Members of the public who believe they have spotted a Hector's dolphin are encouraged to call the department to report it, he said.

The dolphins have distinctive grey, white and black markings on their bodies and fins and a short snout.