A sighting of a group of leatherback turtles feeding off Tauranga has sent a ripple of excitement through marine experts and provided the unforgettable climax to an excursion by tourists aboard Bay Explorer. Seeing them feeding and travelling together blew apart the theory that turtles arrived in New Zealand waters haphazardly by accidental drift, he said. The first leatherback spotted was a very large and old turtle with sun damage to its head, quickly followed by two younger turtles. Mr Pettigrew appealed for people to be mindful of their plastic bags when it was windy because feeding turtles could mistake them for jellyfish. • Historic peaks coincided with raised sea-surface temperatures- Source: Records of turtles and sea snakes in NZ 1837-1996 by Brian Gill- Bay of Plenty Times

Source: New Zealand Herald January 14, 2017 22:02 UTC