Playful pod of dolphins spotted off Napier coast

Holidaymakers are enjoying a splash in the warmer waters around Hawke's Bay, and so are the dolphins.

On Tuesday, Napier woman Halie Macale spied a pod of about 15 to 20 dolphins around her boat, not hunting and not travelling - but playing.

Macale says it's not the first time that she's spotted the playful mammals out while fishing, but it's a sight she never gets sick of seeing.

A playful pod of dolphins was spotted about 11km off Marine Parade on Tuesday. / Photo Supplied

The pod was sighted about 11km off Marine Parade and the family didn't seem to be in any particular rush as they could been seen leaping from the water and twisting playfully alongside each other.

"There's a few babies there too. I saw another group a few weeks ago, so there seem to be a lot around at the moment."

The dolphins, heading south towards Cape Kidnappers, were most likely to be bottlenose dolphins, which are commonly spotted off the East Coast of New Zealand.