A venomous sea snake has been found on the South Island's West Coast - the second one to be found on New Zealand's shores in less than a week.
Hokitika resident Vicki Breeze was walking her dog at the beach on Friday when she found a living yellow-bellied sea snake.
Breeze initially mistook the snake for a interesting piece of wood to take home to her grandchildren.
"It sort of had a curled look and I thought 'I'll have a look at that'. When I'd bent down I thought 'oh no, I better kick it to see what it is'," she said.
"When I bent down and kicked it, it moved.
"I freaked out alright... so I actually continued on with my walk."
She figured the tide would take the snake away.
A sea snake that washed up on a West Coast beach. Photo: Supplied
Her partner John Van Dissel discovered the snake was poisonous after a Google search.
After realising the snake could pose a danger to the public, the couple contacted the Department of Conservation (DOC).
The pair returned to the beach accompanied by a DOC ranger.
"They put it in a bucket, lifted it up with a stick and then it was trying to get out again, so it was very much alive," Breeze said.
"They said the snake would be on its last legs and it wouldn't survive because its too cold here. I think it was lying in the sun and that's what kept it alive."
A Department of Conservation spokesperson confirmed it had responded to a call from the public about the snake.
"The snake likely came down as part of the recent cyclone, the temperature here is too cold for them to survive and the snake died," the spokesperson said.
A yellow-bellied sea snake was also discovered on Omaha Beach near Auckland on Sunday.
Both snakes likely wound up on New Zealand's beaches due to recent weather events.
The snake is found throughout the Pacific Ocean, particularly in warmer tropical waters, and are native to New Zealand.
They are highly venomous, but are described as docile.
About six to 10 of the snakes were seen in New Zealand each year, mostly around the northeast coast of the North Island.
The department reminded the public it was illegal to kill or possess a native sea snake, and urged anyone who saw the animal to report it immediately by calling 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468).
Breeze said she did not know what the department's plans were for the snake, but she hoped it could remain in her hometown at The National Kiwi Centre and Aquarium.
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