Oh No, Not More Moko!

I had my nephew Leighton staying with me for some of the school holidays and I thought it would be great to take him to swim with Moko. Wouldn't that be a tale to tell when he returned to his Napier school next week. It was also a great excuse for me to catch up with Moko again!

I’d checked the forecast and saw that either Thursday or Friday would be good. Sunny days and calm seas. We decided on Friday and although it dawned bright and sunny there was a stiff cold southwester blowing. Not too much of a problem as this would mean an off shore breeze to flatten the waves if Moko was in the sea at Otarawairere Bay or West End Beach. If he was in the river it was going to be a chilly encounter.

We made good time travelling the 90kms from Tauranga to Whakatane in just over an hour. It’s a lovely scenic stretch of road that passes through the green orchards and shelter belts of Te Puke, the Kiwifruit Capital of the World.

 

Kiwifruit Orchard

Then out along the coast which has wonderful views across the Bay of Plenty, with the islands of Motiti, Plate and Whale just off shore and the volcanic White Island a bit further out. There are some great beach communities along the way; Maketu, Pukehina, Matata, and Thorndon. Along the Matata Straights are hundreds of huge pohutukawa trees that hang precariously off the white cliffs, in early summer they make a wonderful sight all decked out in crimson red.

 

Matata Beach & Whale Island

 Finally the road takes us across the river flats and past the multitude of dairy farms that stretch from the back blocks of Edgecumbe right up to the edge of the sand dunes on the coast.

 

The extinct volcano cone of Mount Edgecumbe

As we cross the Whakatane River we take a quick peek to see if there are any people about. Moko has been known to be this far up the river some days. No one in sight today. Later, on our way home, we see a couple of DOC vehicles and a car from a local Maori Trust parked at the bridge. It would have given me more of a fright had I not just left Moko but we can see a group of people huddled around something on the river bank close to the water's edge. I wonder what has died, maybe a seal.....

Unfortunately the twitters and Moko updates had hit a snag earlier in the week and there was silence from that quarter, I was on my own. Luckily I had enough knowledge to be able to work out where Moko might be hanging out. First port of call was down near the river mouth; I drove through town to the playground on the river bank. Moko can quite often be found at Piripai Spit which is across on the other side of the river opposite the playground. I was hoping he wasn’t going to be there as it’s near impossible to get across to the other side unless you can catch a boat or are a very good swimmer. I forgot my binoculars but I could make out a couple of small tinnies and a few people walking over the dunes but no one swimming in the river which I assumed meant no Moko.

Across the Whakatane River

Back in the car our next stop was Otarawairere Bay, though not quite, I thought it would be worth a stop at the iSite to see if they had heard anything this morning. “Not a word” the friendly guy said “but if you find him can you let us know?” Well, maybe.

Up over the hill we drove and took the short trip into Otarawairere village to check if there were any cars at the head of the track down into the bay. This would be a good indication if Moko was down there, on my other visits there have been anything up to 20 cars parked in this quiet little cul-d-sac. Today there wasn’t a vehicle in sight! Great, that saved me a strenuous walk. I was almost certain Moko wasn’t at Otarawairere Bay.

Only one more place to check out, West End Beach at Ohope, before it would be back to the river for a bit more of a thorough search upstream. I wasn’t holding out much hope as although Moko has hung out at West End before he’s mostly been discouraged as he steals the surfers boards and generally makes a nuisance of himself.

As we drove down the beach front we couldn’t quite make out whether the little black dots we could see out in the waves at the end of the bay were regular surfers or people swimming. If they were swimmers then this was unusual as it’s now autumn and the water is quite chilly and not that inviting. Once we got to the carpark at the end of the road we could see that they were indeed swimmers and if I needed any more convincing that Moko was out there somewhere the carpark was full of Mums, Dads and kids in various stages of undress as they fought their way into and out of a wide assortment of swimwear and wetsuits! Another check of the waves and sure enough I spotted Moko’s fin in amongst the small gathering of kids and adults.

West End Beach, Ohope

We’d found him and now the race was on to get into our swimwear and get out there. I get the same anxious feeling every time I find him, wondering if Moko might decide he’s had enough and be off out to sea  before I'm ready to join him. I needn’t have worried, we had plenty of time. He was still happily playing in the breakers two hours later when I left.

We both had our wetsuits and reef shoes on and I’d have to say they were needed although I still think the water was quite a bit warmer than usual for this time of the year. After the initial gasp as the water seeps in between the gaps it was toasty warm, I could have quite happily stayed out there all day. Leighton only had a summer weight wetsuit with shorter sleeves and legs so he did get a bit cold towards the end. He also nabbed my noodle to support him in the water, I hadn't thought to bring my second one. Oh well, I'm sure there would be plenty for Moko to play with anyway.

Leighton ready to hit the waves!

It was also obvious why Moko was at West End too. This little corner of the beach was very sheltered from the stiff southwester that was blowing; the waves were mostly very small with the occasional big one thrown in to keep those of us with cameras on our toes and to give Moko a chance to show us his surfing skills!

It was the last Friday of the school holidays and there were plenty of children out with their parents who were enjoying seeing, touching and playing with Moko.

There were lots of people swimming in their clothes or their underwear as well as wetsuits and togs. One lady caused much mirth amongst her friends when she arrived at their sides wearing just a G-string and a shirt, luckily(for her and us) Moko was hanging out at in about thigh deep water! Moko obviously has that effect on people, they’ve just got to seize the opportunity and get in and swim with him.

I heard one English lady (swimming in her clothes) say that this had got to be the highlight of not only her NZ holiday but of her lifetime. She could not believe that she was able to just wade out off a beautiful beach on a beautiful sunny day and not only see a dolphin but have him allow her to stroke him too. It was such a privilege and a memory she would treasure forever.

Moko seemed to be enjoying all the attention and was quite happily swimming in and around us all and sharing himself around everyone.

He’d play for a bit with one toy and then move on to another. For most of the time everyone gave him his space and patiently waited until he chose to come over to them. Some couldn't quite reach him even with Mum's help-

Every so often Moko would speed away through the water to catch a wave, he enjoyed surfing the waves beside the odd body surfer who managed to ride the wave in too. Everywhere you looked there were smiling faces and laughter, Moko is a real tonic. How could you not smile watching his antics?

A dinghy came around the point at one stage and you could hear a collective sigh of disappointment as Moko took off towards it.
 

He had obviously heard the outboard, then they dropped their anchor way out in the deep and we thought that was it. Moko has a love affair with anchor chains, it’s thought this is why he has lost eight teeth during his stay in Whakatane. He grabs the chains and has been known to drag smaller boats through the water. The people on board this dinghy were obviously here to play with Moko as we spotted a rigid noodle being thrown over the side. But before long they must have realised that there were quite a number of disappointed people in closer to shore and to their credit they ran the dinghy up on the beach and came over to us where Moko had returned to play.

While my nephew was keen to visit Moko, Moko obviously didn’t have the same appeal to Leighton as he has to me. I looked around at one point to see where Leighton was and spotted him surfing the waves in closer to the shore. When he came back out to me I asked him if he was enjoying himself. He said yes it was cool body surfing!  Leighton said he’d managed to stroke Moko once but that was enough for him……."and when would we be able to get something to eat?"  I guess not everyone is smitten with Moko.

You think you're cold Leighton, just look a those girls on their brothers shoulders! -

So after a few dozen photos and two hours of play with Moko I said my farewell with a long stroke down the length of his body as he slowly swam past and then I reluctantly dragged myself out of the water and back to the beach to collect our belongings. There were still plenty of people to keep him company.

Back at the carpark we were able to have a quick cold shower before peeling off our wetsuits and shivering into our clothes. I like West End, at least you can have a shower and change before hitting the road again. Back in the car I had to pull forward into the front row for one last lingering look at Moko playing in the waves. For a brief moment he was by himself, I could see his silhouette skimming along the crest of a wave then he was gone. See you next time Moko, stay safe.

We had a quick snack and a drink in the car but I still had a hungry lad beside me who had the Golden Arches in sight but sadly for him we were not going to be stopping there if I could help it. We headed out of town and soon we were pulling into a very busy Whitehouse Café where I’d stopped for morning tea the last time I was in Whakatane. A flat white for me and a very big bowl of chips(fries) for him which we both devoured and still there were plenty left. If you are ever passing the café do stop for a bite to eat, the ladies in there are some of the friendliest I have come across in my travels. They are all a credit to the business.

This Pouwhenua(carved pole) stands just along from the cafe outside the Puawairua Marae

It was quiet ride home; Moko, sun and salt water seem to have that effect on me. Worn out but happy with our day we arrived home in time to relax and check out the photos before dinner time.

Thanks again Moko for a magical day, I have been lucky with every encounter so far, I’ve managed to locate him every time and in the two places I enjoy the most; Otarawairere Bay and West End. Perhaps next time it will finally be the river. Are there eels in there?

Here are four short YouTube links for the video clips I took on Friday-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQ1UPGDjfGs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcU8hlwNuHc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcG_RmqAYXM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NUEvgzIy7Y