A young humpback whale has been spotted cruising through the Wellington Harbour this morning.
Project Jonah general manager Daren Grover said the whale looked to be somewhere between nine months and 21 months old.
Grover said the whale, which was seen swimming through the ferry terminals in the central city, was probably on its way north towards the tropics - where whales gather every year.
A sighting of a humpback so close to shore was rare, he said, and he expected it took a wrong turn through Cook Strait.
He said people needed to remember New Zealand was still in alert level 3, and they should not gather on the waterfront.