Boaties, surfers, swimmers and all other people enjoying the water in the Eastern Bay of Plenty are being warned to keep away from Moko the dolphin.
The dolphin is known to 'steal” surf boards and also obstruct paddlers, at times preventing them from heading in the direction of their choice.

Picture and information supplied by Whakatane Beacon.

Gisborne-based DoC ranger Jamie Quirk – who knows Moko intimately – says kayakers should choose another place to paddle if they know the large dolphin is in their area.
'Remember you are entering into his backyard, his realm.”
If kayakers still had encounters with the dolphin, the best tip was to 'ignore him”.
'It's like with a naughty child, it's best to ignore him. Do not start to play with him,” says Jamie.
'Avoid interacting with him in the first place. It has happened previously – that paddlers start with the intention to play with him, and then the encounter turns bad.”

Picture by David Marshall at Ohope Beach.

If the dolphin should manage to steal a paddle it was best to let the paddle go.
'I know paddles are expensive, but it's a game of catch-and-chase for him.”
'You are better off not to go down that line – he will win every time.”
Since Friday Moko has been seen cavorting at the Whakatane wharf, Otarawairere and Ohope's West End – where he was again playing yesterday morning.
Moko is sporting no obvious scars of an alleged wack with a waka ama paddle he suffered last week while playing in the water at Omaio, near Te Kaha.
'He has old nicks and scratches, but no fresh wounds,” says Whale and Dolphin Watch tour guide Elise Adlam.
DoC area manager Andy Bassett says he wants to hear from anyone with information regarding the alleged attack on Moko.
The maximum penalty under the act for assaulting a marine mammal was a fine of $250,000 or six months imprisonment.