The pod of orca that were in Pāuatahanui inlet north of Wellington for several days appear to have left overnight.
An orca. (File photo) Photo: 123RF
Whale Watch said its observer network could see no sign of the group of seven orca that has been in the area, close to the Porirua suburb of Plimmerton, since Saturday.
There have been concerns for the pod's safety with several low tides.
The inlet is the same area where the orca calf "Toa" was found separated from its pod in July.
Believed to be between six months and two years old, Toa died less than two weeks later despite community efforts to save it and reunite it with its missing pod.
Orca expert Dr Ingrid Visser told Morning Report one of the orca in the pod had stranded, but seemed to be healthy and they were confident the pod had all left.
"We were keeping a close eye on him but he was recovering really really well and video footage from yesterday showed that he was doing great and he was actually feeding as well so we were confident that they were all okay," she said.
"It was what everybody was hoping for and we're just thrilled that it happened."
She said New Zealand has the highest rate of orca strandings in the world.
"That comes about because they're in those shallow harbours hunting for stingrays and, you know, they get so focused on the food that sometimes they make mistakes."
The Conservation Department yesterday was part of an effort to use boats to usher the pod out. Dr Visser said while the method had worked in the past and was effective, it was not being well managed.
"There were instances for example where they were too close to te animals and they had the pipes in the water and banging on them right next to one of the little calves which would have damaged its hearing," she said.
"We certainly saw the people out there splitting the group up at one point and so the animals were moving away from them at times.
"We just put it out there for people to think - maybe we're having an impact on the animals that isn't immediately obvious until you see something like this."
She hoped the orca would return to the inlet again.
"That's a regular haunt for the orca to come in and hunt there, so I'm hoping the experience that they've had with the boats trying to drive them out doesn't stop them coming back.
"Hopefully they'll just come in for the day like they normally do."
