Auckland mates encounter ‘curious’ juvenile orca on morning fishing trip in Hauraki Gulf
An Auckland boatie describes a close encounter with an orca around Rangitoto as “once in a lifetime”.
Aaron Farrell told the Herald he and two of his friends were fishing near the Rangitoto Lighthouse on Saturday when the orca began swimming towards the boat.
“When we first pulled up, it was hovering in the water in one spot for a bit so we thought it was a kayaker,” he said.
“We pulled up, watched it for a bit. It swam past, came back to us and started swimming under and looking at us.
“It came right up to the motor. It was on for a bit and when we pulled up we turned it off and it was making sounds so we think it was just very curious.”
Farrell estimated the encounter with the whale lasted for five to 10 minutes.
“It was a juvenile so it was coming up to us, curious what was going on,” he said.
Despite the size of the creature, Farrell and his friends never felt nervous during the experience.
“We know orcas don’t view us as prey, but if it wanted to do something, it could,” he said.
“It was a once-in-a-lifetime. We couldn’t stop talking about it.”
This sighting is the latest in a flurry of encounters with orca whales around New Zealand during the first half of 2025.
On January 25, a pod of orcas dropped in on a pair of Waikato surfers, creating an unforgettable close encounter.
Originally from Wales, Davies said he and Griffiths entered the water and had been surfing for about an hour when another person mentioned a pod of whales was nearby.
“We kept an eye out, but I didn’t see anything at first,” Davies said.
Eventually, the orca came to check out the surfers.
“I was paddling back out, diving under waves, and I came up to see this massive orca whale surfing the wave right in front of me.
“It was incredible. I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said.
On January 12, a pod of orcas including a calf put on a show for boaties in the Marlborough Sounds as they swam in formation hunting fish.
Keen boatie Vicky Wiblin filmed the group of six orcas, including a smaller calf, in the waters off Hakana Bay, Port Underwood.
She had spotted the pod from a distance earlier but when she was on her boat fishing later in the day they returned and put on “an amazing display”.
David Williams is an Auckland-based Multimedia Journalist who joined the Herald in 2023. He covers breaking news and general topics.