Around 1500 people flocked to Auckland Museum today to see a public dissection of a great white shark - believed to be a first in New Zealand.
Despite the blazing heat, people showed up in their droves to get a glimpse of the giant predator.
Armed with cameras and mobile phones, young and old jostled excitedly in the hot sunshine to get a chance to touch and take photographs the shark.
Nobody seemed too squeamish despite the amount of blood, and most people were happy to pose with the great white.
The museum and the Department of Conservation (DOC) performed the necropsy, or fish autopsy, on the shark, with running commentary throughout.
The free event was held to raise awareness of the threats facing this vulnerable and unfairly maligned species, museum curator Tom Trnski (crrct) said.
Marnie Jackson, originally from England, brought four children aged nine, 13, 15 and 18 with her to see the shark.
"It's not something you see every day so we just wanted to make the most of the opportunity to see a great white shark up close," she said.
The dissection was broadcast live to around 30,000 people on the internet, and it was available to watch on the museum website from 2pm.
"We're really pleased with the turnout today. It's superb," museum event producer Vincent Lipanovich said.
"Everyone who came here today was allowed to touch the shark and later on when the jaws were extracted they took photographs with the jaws as well. But our main focus was the scientific experiment."
He explained the shark would not be put on display in the museum, as it already had a great white exhibit.
Instead, the excised parts would be used for research.
"Some of the pieces may well end up in our collection but no museum could handle all the pieces at once," Mr Lipanovich said.
During the autopsy, a small fish hook and fish ear bone were found, along with fish remains in the shark's stomach.
The three metre, 300kg shark was found in the Kaipara Harbour on Monday last week, tangled and dead in a gill net.
A protected species in New Zealand, the great white was recovered and frozen by DOC staff, and was defrosted in preparation for today's necropsy.
The procedure was carried out by Clinton Duffy from DOC's marine conservation section and Dr Trnski.
This was the first time DOC has been involved with a public dissection of a great white shark.
Mr Duffy was recently involved with the autopsy of a mako shark in Nelson.
"Today's shark autopsy was equivalent to a human autopsy," said Simon Banks, DOC marine conservation manager.
"It's great to see so many people here today and it's a unique opportunity to see a great white shark up close.
"We don't know a lot about great whites which is why this is such a unique opportunity."
During the autopsy, DOC workers looked at the shark's stomach contents and measured its internal organs.
It is believed the last great white shark attack in New Zealand was in 1968 and the last attack in Auckland was as far back as 1911.
NZPA