Southern right whales back making a splash in Wellington Harbour

Once again Wellington's visiting southern right whale put on a display while frolicking in the harbour near the Inter-islander ferry terminal. / Mark Mitchell

Whales are back delighting onlookers in Wellington.

A Department of Conservation spokesman said there were several southern right whales in the region at the moment, including what is likely to be a mother and calf pair in the harbour, and potentially another pair on the Kapiti Coast.

The sightings have raised excitement for some, hoping one is the same that visited last month, forcing the capital's Matariki fireworks to be postponed.

But DoC said it was too early to know whether one of these whales was the same.

"We have yet to assess sufficiently detailed photos to determine if they are known individuals."

The whale that visited Wellington harbour in July stuck around for a week, splashing about in the waves and bringing traffic to a standstill on the motorway.