Hart said many locals are used to seeing sharks in the area. Photo credit: Philip Hart / Supplied They re a beautiful sight - when we go out we always hope to see whales or dolphins and if you don t see any of them we ll pop over to Matarangi and look at the sharks.
Shark sightings have been common during this year s holiday period. Three small sharks were spotted at the Coromandel s Paunui Beach on Saturday, just two days after 19-year-old Kaelah Marlow died of a suspected shark attack off Waihi Beach in the Bay of Plenty.
Kelly Tarltons Felix Berghoefer said in December that New Zealanders swimming in the ocean this summer will likely come within 200 to 300 metres of a shark.