By Annabelle Tukia
A Southland family has witnessed a rare and spectacular display of animal prowess just metres from a popular fishing and swimming beach.
They are images that would send shivers down the spine of any keen beach goer this summer.
A group of sharks were being hunted by an orca just metres from Tuatapere Beach.
For the Robertson family the spectacular scene was a reality that played out right in front of them.
Local David Evans said he was just sitting down to breakfast when farmers from down the road came up and said they had been watching whales.
“We all piled in the truck and grabbed a camera, grabbed the video and went down to the beach and just started shooting,” says Mr Evans.
What happened next was what surprised them most. On film the orca appears to herd the sharks up towards the beach, much to the delight of their dog Flea.
One shark ended up in the shallows clearly exhausted from its fight for survival; it struggled to stay up right in the waves.
Watch the full video
3 News