Humpback whale spotted in Otago Harbour
Sunday, 8 July 2018
A humpback whale has been spotted in the Otago Harbour.
Royal Albatross Centre operations manager Chris McCormack was cleaning the observatory's windows on Sunday morning when he heard a noise coming from the distance.
'I turned around and I could see a humpback whale just in the Otago Harbour.'
McCormack, who saw two humpback whales from a distance last weekend while kayaking, said it was 'a bit of a specialty', to see them in the harbour.
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'It's this time of the year that they're passing up and down the coastline.
'I've seen it before, but it's not an everyday occurrence.'
The sighting comes after a rare southern right whale captured the attention of the nation's capital.
The whale had been spotted swimming south, near the Wellington coast, on several occasions since Monday, but it emerged in spectacular fashion on Wednesday.
It was seen jumping and playing in the harbour near the Interislander ferry terminal as it continued its journey south.
The rare southern right whale, dubbed Whaley by one Facebook user, is believed to be around the Interislander ferry terminal still, where large crowds had to be turned away on Saturday morning.