Enormous lion's mane jellyfish washes up on Auckland beach

Monday, 17 September 2018

A lion's mane jellyfish washed up on Pakiri Beach early Monday morning.

A family going for a walk along a beach in north Auckland was astonished by an 'incredible' jellyfish.

Eve and Adam Dickinson and their two children found the lion's mane jellyfish on Pakiri Beach, north of Warkworth, on Monday.

'[Jellyfish] were everywhere and we were pretty amazed. Then we saw this massive one that seemed different from all of the others,' Eve Dickinson said.

'We spent ages looking at it because of its beautiful colours and shape. My boy said it reminded him of a volcano.'

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Dickinson said the enormous jellyfish was 'amazing' to see.

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NIWA marine biology technician Diana Macpherson said lion's mane jellyfish were 'pretty common' in New Zealand during the warmer months.

However, September was unusually early for one to wash up.

'They're usually around during the spring and summer because the plankton starts to bloom, so as a result they come around too,' Macpherson said.

Dickinson said she and her family had never seen anything like the lion's mane jellyfish.

'It was incredible. We turned over some of the other jellyfish on the beach to see if they looked the same as the big one but they didn't. This one was definitely different.'

The lion's mane, or Cyanea rosea, is the largest jellyfish species found in New Zealand.

They are usually about 50cm wide, but there have been sightings of specimens more than one metre in diameter.

This isn't the first time a lion's mane jellyfish has made a visit to New Zealand beaches.

In October 2017, one was spotted at a beach in Devonport and in 2016 there were sightings of the creatures in Orewa, Whangarei Heads and Nelson.

At the time NIWA marine ecologist Mike Page told Stuff they weren't a health risk but 'small children should certainly stay away'.

Macpherson said while the lion's mane jellyfish was not poisonous, their stings could cause minor welts.

'They have a toxin in their tentacles which can hurt you if you get too close to them.'

Macpherson said when dealing with the lion's mane jellyfish, people should 'treat them with caution'.