Orca encounter first-time experience for Marsden Point folk

It was a beautiful start to the day for several residents of Marsden Point who got to see a pod of orcas on the hunt for breakfast along the coast.

Camden Andrews, who said he was less than a metre from the animals, watched them from the safety of the shore as they narrowed in on a stingray yesterday morning.

He said to his mother's delight, the stingray escaped, and the pod went on chasing their food up and down the harbour.

"This is what Northland is about," Andrews said.

Andrew Johnson spotted the pod of orcas around 11am on Tuesday and followed them along the harbour. Photo / Supplied

First reports of the sighting came in around 8am. Andrews saw up to six orca, he said.

Another resident, Sarah Mitchell, said she saw two orcas by her home close to the Marsden Marina.

"I saw them come up and take a big breath. It's such a beautiful experience."

She said she was often on the lookout for orcas, but this was the first time she had actually seen them.

After hearing about the orca sighting on social media, Marsden Point local Andrew Johnson went out and spotted four of the mammals swimming around Marsden Cove towards the Refining New Zealand and then south towards Ruakākā.

"This was about 11am. It was beautiful to watch."

For Johnson, too, this was a first-time encounter.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Conservation Whangārei said the office had received several calls from the public.

She said seeing pods around the area here was a common occurrence.

DoC doesn't believe this pod is connected to the baby orca that was stranded in Plimmerton on Sunday afternoon.

According to onlookers, the pod swam into the harbour and then headed south towards Ruakākā. Photo / Supplied