Swimmer comes face-to-face with orcas in Mount Maunganui 18 Apr, 2021 10:07 PM 2 minutes to read Swimmer comes face-to-face with orcas in Mount Maunganui. Video / Supplied A regular ocean swimmer had the "best day" of his life this morning when a couple of friendly orca from a passing pod came to say hello. Tauranga man Steve Morris was swimming around Mauao this morning with a group of other swimmers when two orca came close to them as they swam towards the harbour. "It was pretty much the best day of my life this morning," he said. The regular ocean swimmer said he had seen orcas in the distance while swimming a couple of times, but this was the first time they had come this close.