One of New Zealand's top science brains was in Wanganui on Monday running his eye over the Whanganui Regional Museum's fossil collection.
Otago University's Ewan Fordyce made the stop just hours after arriving back from Washington, on his way to New Plymouth.
The museum holds the "type specimen' for the Shepherd's beaked whale and was an item the fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand was especially keen to see. A type specimen is used for the initial research on a species.
It was discovered on the coast of South Taranaki in 1933 and named after the then curator of the museum.
Dr Fordyce said it was a significant specimen. "You have the standard reference for that whale. It puts this museum on the map.
"It's sort of a pilgrimage to come here and see it."
The Shepherd's beaked whale differs from other beaked whales in that it had a set of teeth.
"People overseas were disbelieving, they thought it was a mistake," Dr Fordyce said. It has since been found in New Zealand waters, parts of South Australia and Argentina.
Keith Beautrais, who is on a Royal Society of New Zealand teacher fellowship at the museum, said while he was here, Dr Fordyce would be given a sample of marine fossils to examine to help the museum increase its knowledge of them.
"We house some important specimens and scientists are still actively looking at stuff," Mr Beautrais said.