I Went Swimming With Moko the Friendly Dolphin

Moko is a friendly, lone bottle nose dolphin that has been making human friends around the East Coast of the North Island of New Zealand for the last three or so years. He had stayed in Mahia in Northern Hawkes Bay for most of this time but early in the summer of 2009 he followed a fishing trawler north to Gisborne where he stayed for a couple of months before once again following a trawler north, around the East Cape and into the Bay of Plenty, where he has taken up residence in a small bay between Whakatane and Ohope.

I travelled across to Ohope from Tauranga during the last weekend in February especially to swim with Moko. I’ve been following Moko's story for a couple of years. I’m originally from Hawkes Bay and spent most of my childhood holidays at Mahia and I've climbed Mokotahi Bluff (which he was named after) many times, so Moko was obviously going to be of special interest to me.





Mokotahi Bluff, Mahia

  



Beautiful Ohope Beach

Lately I’d been following Moko’s Facebook page and a blog on daily Moko happenings, I was also getting regular tweets on my mobile as to where he was during the day. I was worried if I didn’t go and see him soon he might move on. The few days prior to arriving, Moko had been hanging out in Whakatane River but with fine weather forecast and the ocean swell dropping I knew he would be back in his favourite place, Otarawairere Bay. This is a small bay located in the headland between Whakatane and Ohope and the only way to reach it is by one of three very steep walking tracks.

I headed to the bay about 2pm, Moko was there but unfortunately he was playing quite a few hundred meters off-shore with the occupants of two anchored runabouts, a dozen or so swimmers and a couple of people in their kayaks. A few strong swimmers had made it out from the shore to play with him but mostly people stood around at the waters edge hoping Moko might come back in to play with them. It would have been a disappointment if you were a visitor to come so far and get so close but not have the opportunity to swim with Moko especially as we could see his fin, he also did a couple of leaps and tail slaps while we were watching. I had the luxury of knowing I was here for another day so while I was disappointed I knew my time would come. And it was, after all, a lovely Sunday stroll over the hill…….yeah right!




Part of the climb to Otarawairere Bay




At the top of the track looking back to West End Beach, Ohope

I headed back over to the bay just after 7pm Sunday evening, hoping Moko was going to still be there. And luckily enough he was. I spotted him way over the otherside of the bay swimming with a small group of people.




Low tide at Otarawairere Bay. Moko's buoys are behind the tree in the top right of the photo

Once I was around there I waded into the water to about waist height and very soon Moko was checking me out. What an awesome creature he is. I loved the feel of his skin, smooth and solid; it felt a bit like a wet gumboot. It was great to hear his little squeaks and pips. He loved to swim in close and rub past, occasionally catching my shin with his tail. It didn’t hurt but he gave you a bit of a fright, he’s very long and you think he’s well past when his tail catches you out.




Moko and his boogie board

I had a “noodle” with me but he was more interested in his familiar boogie board (the woman that was there has spent many hours with Moko, he knows when she arrives and heads straight for the boogie board she brings) although he did play with the noodle on and off. He’d take it away and then rest his head on it until you tried to catch up to him. Then he’d be away with it again.




Resting on a "noodle"

I played with Moko for over an hour, it was so relaxing, he swum in and out and around us all. Into the shallows and off after the board into the deep and back again. It was a very special time, a beautiful dolphin to play with, luke warm water (or was it the thrill of swimming with Moko that took the chill away), the sun setting on a beautiful summer's day and an orange glow bathing the bay. Nobody wanted to leave the water as we all knew he’d be by himself but as it got darker we had to finally drag ourselves out.  




A boy and a dolphin

Moko did a few laps that slowly got bigger until he decided no one was coming back in to play.
 


"Come play with me"

It was quite sad watching his lone fin make its way back to the buoys in the fast disappearing light. We watched as he propped his beak on the joining rope and settled in for the night. Dolphins sleep with half of their brain at a time as they need to continue using their blow hole to breathe. Moko usually rests his beak on the floating rope that joins the two buoys and stays there for the night.

What an amazing time I had, I felt very privileged to have experienced this once in a life time opportunity. I have swum with dolphins many times when we’ve been out on our boat but nothing can compare with this. Usually dolphins are interested in you, that's if they're not on a food hunting mission, they'll stop and check you out but will keep just out of arm's reach and they’re just as likely to up and leave at the drop of a hat. Not Moko, he is there, in your face the whole time, in a nice way of course!

And I still had Monday to look forward to……




Moko resting at the buoys

At 7:30am Monday morning there was, as yet, no news as to where Moko might be. Should I do that hike again over to his bay? It took me all of 30 seconds to decide I’d head back over to Otarawairere Bay in the hope that he was still where we’d left him the night before.

It was on with the backpack, don't forget the noodle, throw in a snack and I was on my way. I didn’t pass anybody on the track and once I got to the top of hill and was in sight of the bay I scanned the beach and the water with my binoculars. Not a soul in sight. I zeroed in on Moko’s buoys away over the other side. A big bright orange one and a smaller black one set slightly off to the side. No sight of Moko, two buoys bobbing about, two buoys, two buoys…….wait…….three buoys! Moko’s head and beak came into sight above the slight swell of the ocean. Exactly as we’d left him the night before, snoozing on the rope. I wonder if he's been there all night, I wonder when he eats.

That quickened the pace and I was off racing down the other side across the sand and over the rocks, with fingers crossed he wasn’t going to suddenly awaken and be off out to sea in search of company. Still nobody about when I got to his little beach and now I could clearly see him resting. As excited as I was I didn’t want to swim out to the buoy and disturb him so I casually swum out about 50 meters or so and “pretended” to just be having a morning dip. I did whistle a tune & slapped the noodle on the water a couple of times………oh and I called his name a few times. Truth be told, being in the grey, dark water all by myself with a “fin” in the distance was a little bit scary.

Suddenly he spotted me and came whizzing through the water straight at me, another scary moment hoping it was Moko and not a shark. No side profile to check the fin shape! I headed back into where I could stand with an excited Moko right on my tail. Once I could stand he tore around and around me, squeaking and chirping. He got a hold of the noodle and tossed it about. I threw it for him and he’d throw it about for a bit then bring it back to me. This was the most incredible experience, all by myself with a friendly wild dolphin as a playmate.




"Thar he blows!" Spot his eye.

After about half an hour or so a woman joined us, she came into the bay from the other direction and had been watching us from the stairway. The two of us had Moko to ourselves for a good hour before others started to arrive. Moko quietened down a bit and just swum lazily around and between us two. At one stage he rested his head on the noodle and was quite happy for us to stroke and rub the length of his body, we were in thigh deep water and the water was very clear, we could see the whole length of his body. I noticed his skin had a very fine film of what felt like gritty dust, smaller grains than sand, but a definite rough feel about it. As we stroked him it came off, I wonder if it’s something in the water that settles on him overnight, baby barnacles?




Moko and his best friend Kirsty

After a short while he came to life again and he made sure we did too by digging his beak under our feet to get us to play and bumping his beak against our lower legs.




Shellie & Moko, stars together!

"Come on, come on, throw it"

By now a guy had arrived, and as I could see him furiously texting away, I knew it wouldn’t be long before word was out about where Moko was. We spent the next half hour playing throw and fetch with Moko while the guy took photos with his underwater camera.




"Make sure you get my best side"

"Which one do I choose?"



Tossing the boogie board

At one stage Moko pushed his head up under my arm and rested it on the board while I was kicking it along. Later when I was floating on my back with the noodle behind me and my feet together, Moko came up to my feet and used his beak to push me along through the water creating quite a bow wave. He is certainly a very powerful animal but so agile with it. He can duck and dive as quick as a wink!

It was about now that we heard a whole lot of chatter coming from the direction of the track and suddenly about sixty Japanese students appeared on the beach where the chatter got more excited and louder as they spotted Moko in the shallows.



“I’m outta here!”



“Hi, my name is Moko”

Four of the boys got in for a quick dip with Moko and then they were gone. I hope they take away some special memories, after all they’d come a long way in on the track to see him. More people were arriving and after three and half hours it was time for me to leave. As I left the water Moko came quickly up to me in knee deep water and gave me a couple of nudges, I like to think he did not want me to go.

Both encounters with Moko were very special and an experience of a life time, I am so pleased and thankful I made the effort to seek Moko out. What a wonderful gift he has given us. I hope he remains safe and sound. Safe travels Moko, wherever they eventually take you.




"It's mine"

Watch my YouTube video clips of Moko here; listen to the cicadas and Moko squeaking;

1) Swimming with Moko
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XQv0anLF7I&feature=youtu.be

2) Moko, New Zealand's Friendly Dolphin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cJLbVp4rWU