Traffic grinds to a standstill on Wellington’s harbourside roads as locals try to catch a glimpse of the rare visitor

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

A huge southern right whale frolicking in Wellington harbour has brought the capital’s waterfront to a standstill as locals skip work to catch a glimpse of the animal.

Southern right whales used to be a common sight in Wellington harbour, but 150 years of whaling from the 17th century brought them to the brink of extinction.

Known as Tohora in New Zealand, the whales were targeted because of their propensity to swim close to the shore, their huge quantities of flesh and approachability.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A southern right whale is entertaining locals in Wellington harbour in front of the New Zealand parliament. Photograph: Simon Woolf

chris 🐓 (@Lukeurmyson) Seriously though, John Key spent years promising pandas and not delivering, Jacinda was in for six months and gave us a baby, and Winston got us a whale within a fortnight

Seán Gillespie (@SeanDG) This gives a sense of how big our friendly whale is. Shot it from my office window in Wellington CBD. pic.twitter.com/UvVRoq0AWx

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According to the Department of Conservation, the whales are now rare in New Zealand waters, with DOC urging the public to help with their conservation by reporting any sightings.

“Your help is urgently sought to look out for tohora around New Zealand and to report sightings immediately,” a plea on its website reads.

The whale currently making its home in Wellington harbour – less than a kilometre as the crow flies from parliament house – is quickly becoming a favourite with locals, who have described it as “iconic”, “beautiful” and “majestic” .

During the breeding season in the southern hemisphere’s winter and spring southern right whales are usually found in the sub-Antarctic Auckland and Campbell Islands, so the appearance of the creature in the capital’s harbour is unusual.

DOC has urged people to stay 50m clear of the whale, but some locals have taken paddle boards and row boats to get a closer look.

Wellington’s council – which has postponed a harbour fireworks display on Saturday night in case it disturbs the visitor – said Wellingtonians had fallen in love with the whale, and did not want it harmed in any way.

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“We at Wellington city council are waiting on some advice from experts at the New Zealand Department of Conservation re whether the sound of exploding fireworks will be harmful to the whale if it’s in the vicinity of the fireworks display tomorrow night,” said media manager Richard MacLean.

“This morning the whale was again seen breaching and frolicking in the harbour – and we’re getting lots of ‘save the whale’ sentiment from local people who’ve been captivated by its antics over the past few days.

“We’ve had traffic coming to a standstill on the motorway and other harbourside roads ... the whale is making everyone very happy and work in many offices has been disrupted by whale-watching.”

According a Newshub poll, 90% of respondents would rather see the whale stay in the harbour undisturbed, and have the fireworks rescheduled or cancelled.