Pod of dolphins at Murrays Bay 'not bothered' by confident Auckland swimmers who 'engaged' them

At least seven dolphins were spotted playing around local swimmers this morning at Murrays Bay, on Auckland's North Shore.

A pod of "interested and engaged" dolphins have spent several hours this morning swimming and playing around three confident Auckland beachgoers at Murrays Bay.

The presence of at least seven dolphins was noticed near the Murrays Bay wharf around 10am, along Auckland's North Shore coast line.

After the dolphins were publicised on a local residents Facebook group, local Mairangi Bay resident Vicki Allpress Hill could no longer resist the urge to abandon her work from home, and "ran down" to her local beach.

"I'm not sure when the people swam out to them but I noticed at least three people swimming with them, and the dolphins appeared to be swimming around them," Hill said of what she encountered when she arrived on shore around 11.20am.

"They were definitely not bothered by them. Definitely interested and engaged by them. It was delightful."

Hill said there were about 20 people with her on the Murrays Bay foreshore watching the spectacle.

"I just grabbed my camera but I wished I had a telephoto lens or something, because they were so far away. I just took a few photos.

"I was busy working so it was a nice break from the desk. It was such a beautiful day, the whole scene was just lovely with people down there watching and seeing the dolphins so playful. It was a really nice moment, and unexpected.

"I get a sense they could still be around the bay because they didn't seem to be running off, so who knows?"

An onlooker said the dolphins at Murrays Bay were "definitely not bothered" by the humans swimming with them today.

Locals watching on as a pod of at least seven dolphins play in the surf at Murrays Bay this morning, May 3, 2019. Photo / Vicki Allpress Hill