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Home / New Zealand

Rare glimpse of humpback whale near Akaroa Harbour

Devon Bolger
By
Devon Bolger
9 May, 2022 01:50 AM2 mins to read
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Lucky cruise passengers in Akaroa Harbour have caught a rare glimpse of a humpback whale in the area. Photo / Supplied

Lucky cruise passengers in Akaroa Harbour have caught a rare glimpse of a humpback whale in the area. Photo / Supplied

Lucky cruise passengers in Akaroa Harbour have caught a rare glimpse of a humpback whale in the area.

The whale was spotted near the entrance to the harbour, travelling north on Saturday with the skipper moving to get a closer look.

George Waghorn, owner of cruise company Akaroa Dolphins, told the Herald it was an exciting moment for all on board.

"We were heading back into the harbour and I saw it in the back of my eye. It looked like a big boat in the distance but I saw its blowhole and knew what it was."

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Waghorn said it is a reasonably rare occurrence that seems to be more frequent this year than in previous years.

He said it was a treat for the many Australian passengers on board.

"It was a great surprise for them. They loved it, they all got out the front of the boat, lots of cameras were out."

Akaroa Dolphins uses specially-trained dogs to help locate the Hector's Dolphin, one of the rarest in the world.

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Onboard on Saturday was Albie the dog, Waghorn said he was not too keen on the big mammal.

"He wasn't too sure about it. Was giving it a bit of a look from the boat."

The whale spent about 20 minutes breaching in the water, Waghorn said.

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