Rebekah Tamblyn and her family were among many soaking up the sunny weather and enjoying a taste of Dunedin’s popular tourist spot, when something popped its head out of the water.
"We had just sat down on the cliff that over looks the water when I saw a black shape rise to the surface.
"I quickly pointed at the water and calmly told my family that there was a whale.
"Shortly after, we noticed another one a bit further down and that was the cherry on top."
"At that point I didn’t realise how rare it was to see one until my friend told me she’d lived here for three years and [had] never seen one."
"It was such a cool moment. You’re with a group of people you’ve never met, but all partaking in this unique experience together.
"It was really something."
Department of Conservation coastal biodiversity ranger Jim Fyfe said it was likely to be a female orca.
"We’ve got a great big southern ocean on our doorstep, but it’s still a bit of a lottery as to whether you get to see orca.
"In the past, we have had several spotting of southern right whales over winter, but we do get a few spottings of orca over the summer."
"Around this time of year, if they’re local, they mostly feed on stingray.
"We’ve got a lovely coastline, so I wouldn’t be surprised if we see more sightings."
He reminded boaties who saw the marine mammals not to "crowd around them" and behave appropriately.
Doc lists New Zealand orca’s population as "nationally critical" and says one of the greatest potential impacts to the species is likely to be disturbance caused by vessel traffic.
