A pair of humpback whales have been spotted jumping and splashing together near Tauranga's Mount Maunganui on Monday.
Believed to be a mother and baby, the pair were seen frolicking near the popular scenic attraction, entering the harbour and heading towards Pilot Bay on the west side of the peninsula.
Tauranga locals Bree Spitz and her partner, Max, managed to capture the amazing sight in a video sent to Newshub.
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"This morning around 10:30am, two humpback whales were swimming close to Mount Maunganui and entered the harbour as they headed to Pilot Bay," Bree told Newshub.
The couple were out fishing when they spotted the pair in the harbour.
"We initially thought they were orcas, but a quick search later we realised they were humpbacks due to their white bellies and fins," Max told Newshub.
"We're pretty sure it was a mother with her baby, she might have just given birth [recently]."
As a local, Max admitted it was a rare sight.
"It's a bit strange to see humpbacks this time of year... they were so close to the land and it was pretty shallow, it was low tide. They came through the main channel of Tauranga harbour, right into Pilot Bay - something I've never seen in my time."
As expected, the whales received a lot of attention from those in the vicinity, a number of fishing boats in the area hanging around to get a good look at the pair.
"There was a line of people on Mount Maunganui's track, we could hear a few 'yahoos'," Max said.
The couple hung around for about 20 minutes to see the mother and baby jump and splash together.
"It was pretty awesome," Max said.
Watch the video above.
Newshub.
