Friday, 05 February 2010
MOKO has made a special appearance at the Whakatane Summer Arts Festival.
Rotorua sculptor Jeff Bowlin carved this replica of the bottlenose dolphin at the week-long Whakatane Sculpture Symposium from an 800 kilogram stone.
Festival organisers said as well as being the inspiration for his work, Moko had recently frolicked with Mr Bowlin and other sculptors taking part in the symposium at the Whakatane Heads.
The world-famous dolphin - who now has 800 “friends” on his Facebook page - arrived in the Eastern Bay on January 14 and has drawn crowds wherever he has swum - be it Ohope’s West End, Otarawairere Bay or in the Whakatane River near the Landing Road bridge.
Whakatane i-Site’s Evelyn Niederer told the Gisborne Herald newspaper every second question fielded at the Whakatane Information Centre was about Moko.
“We have people from all over the world coming in and asking where he is.”
The Moko sculpture is for sale by negotiation.