Just as people were farewelling 'Matariki' the whale goodbye, the beloved whale has been sighted again off of Wellington's south coast on Wednesday evening.
The southern right whale was widely reported to have left the city's waters, but keen members of a local whale and dolphin watch group have reported numerous sightings between Moa Point and Tarakena Bay.
It may have left the city's harbour after spending a week breaching and froliciking, but it seems the whale is still keen to stick around.
Twitter user Dr Sea Rotmann also spotted the whale on Wednesday afternoon, tweeting to let locals in "Whaleington" know it was still around.
"Just so you know Whaleington: #Matariki #WellingtonWhale is still Tarakena Bay #MoaPoint," she said.
The Department of Conservation and NIWA have collected a skin biopsy from the huge whale last week, and it's hoped scientists will be able to confirm the whale's sex in the coming weeks.
The whale was given the nickname 'Matariki' after its presence in the harbour led to the postponement of a Matariki fireworks display over the weekend.
In addition to postponing the fireworks, it made plenty of people late for work when they became captivated by it playing in the harbour throughout last week.
Newshub.
