Visitors to a site near Gisborne in New Zealand’s North Island get to interact with the animals in their habitat and learn about their importance to Māori culture
In a shallow reef close to New Zealand’s east coast shore, a group of 30 people wearing khaki overalls and boots huddle together like a crescent moon, waiting for the stars of the show to arrive.
They don’t have to wait long.
Six eagle rays and short-tailed stingrays – some weighing over 300kg - glide through the green waters to the group where they brush up against legs and, with the force of a vacuum-cleaner, slurp fish off submerged hands.
If the group had initially felt trepidation about encountering these animals in the wild, their minds are soon changed.
