Teen boy Kahu Whitehouse gets close encounter with dolphins off Rakino Island

A teenage boy had an unforgettable spring dip last night when a pod of dolphins made a beeline towards him.

Kahu Whitehouse, 13, was surrounded by huge bottlenose dolphins after he plunged into the icy water off Rakino Island.

His dad, Peter Whitehouse, had brought him down to go fishing and see if they "could catch some dinner" when they saw around eight dolphins in the water. The pair are on the island repairing a friend's bach.

"Kahu just asked if we could go out and swim with them. It was quite cold and windy. I just said "Sure" so he strippd off to his undies and then kinda got cold feet for a little bit ... It's quite intense when you actually think about being in the water with them, they're very big."

As soon as Kahu dived into the water the dolphins came over to have a look at him. They brushed against him and circled around a few times. Kahu had a snorkel and flippers on so was able to dive down and see them play under the water.

"It was amazing how quickly they came over to him. They made a real beeline," Whitehouse said. "I could hear little shrieks through his snorkel."

Kahu was in the water for about 20 minutes and came out of the water "buzzing", Whitehouse said. The teen had been spearfishing today and was still excited about the encounter.

Whitehouse joked that it was hard to keep Kahu out of the water. "The rest of the holidays will now seem boring."