A rare olive ridley sea turtle spent Tuesday night at the National Aquarium of New Zealand before being transported to Auckland Zoo for treatment.
The species, also known as the Pacific Ridley, is normally found in the warmer waters of the Pacific Ocean, so it was quite a surprise for a Blackhead Beach resident who found the turtle lying on the southern Hawke's Bay beach. He told his neighbour, Department of Conservation ranger Rod Hansen.
"It's very rare to see this type of turtle this far down the coast," Mr Hansen said.
"To the best of our knowledge, this is the first olive Ridley to have been found here."
Mr Hansen rescued the turtle and immediately gave the aquarium a call, aquarium manager Rob Yarrall said.