According to the Fishhead (Te Upoko o te Ika) —

An ambulance was called to Waikanae Beach on Tuesday afternoon to what is thought to have been a man with a wound to his stomach caused by a stingray.

Waikanae Boating Club commodore Graham Oliver said he wasn’t at the club at the time, but received a call about the incident from someone who was there. As he understood it, the injured man had been bleeding from a wound to the stomach area, Oliver said. He had gone to the beach after hearing of the incident, but the matter had been dealt with by the time he got there.

A boating club staff member, who didn’t want his name published, said people had come up to the club asking for first aid supplies about 4pm.

Stuff received an e-mail from someone who said a man, who appeared to be aged about 40, had a stingray barb through his abdomen at the beach.

Wellington Free Ambulance said it had attended an incident at Waikanae Beach at 4pm on Tuesday. One person was taken to hospital in a moderate condition. The service would not provide any more information about the incident.

The report is likely true: Karl Webber says, “yup, lotsa stingrays and likely eagle rays around at this time.” —Eds