Maui's dolphin sightings
Map of Maui's dolphin sightings:
Sources of sightings
The Department of Conservation (DOC) collates Maui's dolphin sightings information. This information comes from a number of different sources including research and public sightings.
Public sightings are reported to DOC offices or the WWF Maui dolphin hotline . Also, DOC and Ministry Agriculture and Forestry staff have reported opportunistic sightings.
Some sightings have more reliability than others within the database. However, the overall pattern of sightings information is similar to the survey information. It is important to remember that public sightings will generally be clustered around areas of human activity. For the purposes of this update, reports with GPS locations are mapped separately from sightings with verbal and general locations.
Key points of interest:
Maui's dolphin
- From 1921 to March 2012 there have been over 680 reported sightings of Maui's dolphins on the West Coast of the North Island.
- Sightings range from Kaipara Harbour to the New Plymouth area with some outlying sightings as far as Pukerua Bay on the Kapiti Coast.
- Most sightings within the Manukau Harbour are clustered around the outer region of the harbour.
- The northern-most recorded sighting is a public sighting recorded in 2006 at Ripiro Beach, 5km north of Bayleys Beach.
- There are also confirmed sightings within Wellington Harbour, but at least one of these was found to be a South Island Hector's dolphin.
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- Mauis or Hectors dolphins are also sometimes seen on the east coast of the North Island as far north as Napier
- A 2009 sighting near New Plymouth was caught on video.
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- 11 March 2012 after the Maui's Dolphin Awareness Day in Raglan a sighting of four dolphins was caught on video.
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Contacts
To report whale or dolphin strandings phone the DOC HOTline 24 hour emergency number:
0800 DOCHOTline (0800 362 468)