Orca cruise the coast along Papamoa Beach

Hundreds of excited beachgoers watched as three orca cruised the coast along Papamoa Beach tonight.

Lee White, 16, had been out surfing for about an hour-and-a-half when he saw them coming.

He said there were three and one looked like a calf.

The orca passed within about two metres of him.

"It was pretty cool. I haven't seen anything like that before, they were massive."

There were hundreds of people on Papamoa Beach watching as the orca headed along the coast. Photos/Annalise Klay

The Reeves family were out for a walk when they saw the fins in the water.

Mum Chio said it was "amazing" to watch them pass by.

Dad Stephen said he and his son had been out swimming in the same spot as Lee, their neighbour, a short time earlier.

There were hundreds of people on the beach watching as the orca headed along the coast.

One local resident said she followed the orca down the beach for about 2km.

"Off to Maketu for the night. They were chasing stingray," she said.

The woman had seen a stingray fly out of the water ahead of the orca.

A stingray flies out of the water ahead of the orca. Photos/Annalise Klay