TURTLE HOOKED IN RIVER

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21681, 15 January 1936, Page 10

TURTLE HOOKED IN RIVER

♦ A MAORI'S RARE CATCH [THE PRESS Special Service.] AUCKLAND, January 14. The first recorded instance of a turtle being caught at an appreciable distance inland in New Zealand occurred at Tuapiri during the week-end. A Maori, Mr T. Kani, was fishing for catfish in the Mangawar'u stream, and once when he pulled in his line he was startled to find that he had hooked a small turtle about 14 inches, long. Considerable interest was taken in the finding of the turtle by Mr R A. Falla assistant director of the War Memorial Museum, when the matter was reported to him He said that although it was not uncommon for turtles to be found in northern waters, principally off the west coast beaches in the summer this in his knowledge was the first turtle to have been captured at any great distance inland

There is a warm current that sweeps down from the tropics along the west coast about this time of the year. Mr Falla said, and m the past turtles have been seen and m some cases captured on west coast beaches near Dargaville and near Hokianga Harbour. Turtles have also been encountered at the Bay of Islands.

_ This particular specimen, which is probably quite young, must have tound it way up the Waikato river into the stream from which it was hooked.