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Story: Dolphins

The Poor Knights Islands

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The Poor Knights Islands

The Ngātiwai tribe lived on some of the islands east of Auckland and Northland, including the Poor Knights Islands, which are 22 kilometres from the mainland. It was thought that at times of crisis, dolphins acted as messengers, conveying news to the mainland.

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GNS Science

Reference: CN8788/6

by Lloyd Homer

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How to cite this page

Gerard Hutching, Dolphins – Humans and dolphins, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/4686/the-poor-knights-islands (accessed 24 June 2026).

Story by Gerard Hutching, published 2 March 2009, updated 1 September 2015.