Breathtaking! Mount woman spots orca pod on morning run

A Mount Maunganui woman has had a close encounter with a pod of orca while on her morning run.

Trish Crompton was running around the Mount Base Track about 7.30am on Sunday when she spotted the pod swimming close to the shore on the Matakana Island side of the track.

"There were five orca close to Mount base. I only watched them for 10 minutes before they started to swim off towards Matakana," Crompton said.

"There was a rather large orca with a bent fin which I believe is known for swimming in the waters in this area. They were drawing quite a large crowd."

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Crompton said she felt very lucky as it was her first ever sighting of such amazing beautiful graceful creatures.

"It was breathtaking and beautiful just to watch them in the water."

In October a pod of 10 orcas were spotted frolicking near Matakana Island.

Orca pods are known to navigate clockwise around the North Island.