Whangamatā's Larry the duck heads home to Hikuai

Larry has had Whangamatā locals in a flap, but a Hikuai family has quacked the case.

The paradise shelduck has been lurking around the main street for months and has become the talk of the town. She even hit national headlines over the weekend.

Affectionately named Larry by Whangamatā locals, it turns out her name is actually Daisy.

The Thompson family from Hikuai reached out to the Hauraki Coromandel Post and Craigs Traditional Fish and Chips operator Liz Body on Whangamatā's main street over the weekend and picked her up on Sunday.

“I thought I would get in contact with you in regard to Larry the duck, I am 100 per cent sure that it’s one of my babies I had to raise by hand in December 2021, both parents were missing,” Romy Thompson said.

“I am an absolute animal lover and would love to get the story out there.”

Daisy at home in Hikuai.

Body confirmed with the Hauraki Coromandel Post she had been contacted by the family who had travelled to Whangamatā and picked Larry up over the weekend.

Body said “Larry” was happy to see them and obligingly accepted a ride home to Hikuai, about 25km north of the town.

“After the article being published yesterday (Saturday) I had contact from a lady who lives in Hikuai who was sure that she (Larry) belonged to her,” Body reported on social media on Sunday.

“She came over this afternoon (Sunday) and showed me several videos and photos of Daisy (her name) who she raised by hand from a duckling.

“It seems Daisy fell for a man, and they flew off never to be seen again until this morning; when her husband saw the article; Daisy has now gone home where there are other ducks and animals.

“Although this is sad for the town it’s the best possible outcome for her, I feel for me personally, I’m going to miss her making a racket outside the shop, I won’t miss the [pile of poo emoji] though.”

Romy Thompson at home with Daisy and some of her siblings.

On Monday, Thompson also confirmed the family travelled to Whangamatā on Sunday to see if “the famous duck was our Daisy”.

“Hundred per cent she is/was; we caught her under permission by Liz the takeaway owner and brought her back to our property.”

While Larry/Daisy was providing the town with some light-hearted entertainment, ducking in and out of shops and eateries, crossing the main street for a bargain, and making herself seen and heard along Port Rd in the central business hub, SPCA scientific officer Dr Christine Sumner said it was probably best if people didn’t feed her.

Sumner said people interacted with birds as a positive connection with the natural world but she urged people to consider the impact they could have on wild animals.

Reports were varied as to when Larry first arrived in Whangamatā's central hub, but the general consensus was the duck had been “winging it” around town for about six months.

Body said Larry had probably been around town since December 2023.

“There were two of them, but it seems that the partner has unfortunately died, I think a lot of the locals are looking after and feeding her and making sure that she’s okay.”

Paradise shelducks are known as colourful, conspicuous and noisy waterfowl that could be mistaken for a small goose.

New Zealand Birds Online reports the birds as having undergone an increase in population since about 1990, including the colonisation of sports fields and other open, grassed areas within urban environments.

The expansion had occurred in the face of being a gamebird and hunted annually.

Paradise shelducks were generally herbivorous, with a preference for pasture grasses and clover.

An extensive diet had been recorded that embraced a broad range of leaves and seeds of terrestrial herbs, some aquatic plants, and terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates.