Orca was 'fricken huge, man' says beachgoer

POPULAR VISITOR: This orca, near Castlecliff Beach, was one of several spotted along the Wanganui coastline yesterday. PHOTO/ STUART MUNRO

Orca whales provided some Monday delight for beachgoers as they swam the Wanganui coast yesterday morning. A small crowd gathered on the North Mole to get a look at the pod with some following the orca north along the coast.

One of the first to see them was Jordan Rees who was surfing with about three others on South Beach when the orca came along at about 8.30am.

"There was this bloody great thing sticking out of the water," Mr Rees said. "This thing was fricken huge, man."

When the group realised it was an orca they headed for shore.

"Unfortunately I missed the wave and so I was stuck out there. It was getting a bit hairy."

Mr Rees said the orca got as close as five metres away. "He was going up and down and blowing and stuff like that. I stopped looking back but by the time I got out he was where we were (surfing)," he said. "Then we saw three others out there. They were just hooning it, aye."

It was estimated there were up to seven orca which then came into the river mouth before heading back out to Castlecliff Beach, Long Beach and towards Taranaki.

"They were really jumping around in the river," Mr Rees said. "It was pretty cool."

Ingrid Visser from the Orca Research Trust said they may have come up from Wellington. Orca had been spotted in Island Bay on Thursday and were possibly the same ones spotted along the Wanganui coast yesterday but could not be sure.

Orca travelled about 100-150km a day, she said, and it was common for orca to be seen close to shore.

There were fewer than 200 orca around the New Zealand coastline.

Dr Visser had not had many reports of orca near Wanganui but that wasn't to say they didn't happen.

She encouraged people to report any orca sightings to 0800 SEE ORCA.