KEY POINTS:
When we arrived at Mahia Beach this week, Moko the dolphin was already entertaining a crowd.
"Oh no, we're going to miss her," I thought but three hours later, she was still frolicking in the shallows, and with a much bigger crowd.
Moko is the talk of Mahia,
south of Gisborne, and it's not hard to see why.
She gives rides, chases kayaks and races swimmers.
As I wandered down the idyllic white-sand beach, I heard people say how swimming with Moko was "once in a lifetime", "incredible" and "absolute magic".
Moko has been at Mahia Beach, and neighbouring Taylors Bay and Waikokopu since Easter, and is now the main attraction for the summer holiday crowd.
Photographer Alan Gibson and I waded out about 50m to meet the female bottlenose, believed to be about 4 years old.
We did not have to wait long before she swam up to us.
Some experts are warning not to touch her, but it was a natural instinct to reach out to gently feel her lithe grey frame as she slowed down beside me.
The next time she swam by, I dived under and felt from her belly to her tail surge through the water.
Her body was cool and smooth to touch, and I got an idea of her power.
An excited kid yelled at me to put my head under to hear her squeak. The noise was high-pitched and amazing.
Moko swam among the crowd for the next few hours, as she has been doing on a daily basis.
She gave her attention to everyone, and playfully swooped under and alongside every kayak that came close. She was a joy to watch and would slow down as she came near you, then speed up when you dived under, as though wanting a race.
Some swimmers grabbed her fin for a ride, but I was disturbed to see her flick her tail in apparent distress as several children at once tried to latch on.
She did this more as the crowd grew in size to more than 80 people, and some locals later said it was the first time they had seen her display any aggression.
Kelly Zame, assistant manager of the Mahia Beach Motels and Holiday Park, was one of several who voiced concern about the toll the noisy packs of children might take on the dolphin.
"I reckon it's going to turn sour and turn to custard soon," she said.
I agreed that it would have been nicer to see her approached more calmly, and without children roughly grabbing at her without a word of rebuke from their parents.
The Department of Conservation has urged caution around Moko, saying she could turn aggressive and carry diseases, but also warning that she might be susceptible to diseases transmitted by humans.
In the 1950s, Opo, the last dolphin to entertain beachgoers in a similar way, died mysteriously after a summer of giving children rides.
Mahia locals who have swum with Moko since Easter say swimmers should wait for her to approach them and avoid touching her.
While it is hard not to feel concern for Moko, she genuinely seems to enjoy the crowd, sticking around until the last swimmers leave the water.
It is also hard not to share their enthusiasm for her presence.
