Sharks stalk lone kayaker

Surfers Steve Derig and his son Tim, 14, were last out of the water at Pakiri Beach, north of Auckland yesterday. Picture / Cathy Aronson

A helicopter pilot watched yesterday as a school of 3m-plus sharks stalked a lone kayaker paddling near Pakiri Beach, north of Auckland.

The sight of the sharks just metres away from the unaware kayaker prompted Auckland pilot James Brown to put in a call to the Mangawhai police.

From 150m up he had no doubt they were shadowing the kayak.

"I haven't seen so many so close to shore in the four years I have been travelling along the coast.

"They don't bunch up. There was one here and another over there, but they were all looking at the same thing."

Mr Brown said he saw six large sharks between Mangawhai and Pakiri beach.

"There were six sharks in total, four in one group, one further south and one near the Pakiri camp ground."

His call to the police left beaches deserted for the remainder of the afternoon.

At 5pm Pakiri beach holiday park manager Ken Gould got the call warning campers that sharks had been seen.

Within minutes the more than 50 swimmers had cleared the water.

Auckland's Elena Thom, 7, was enjoying the surf under the watchful eye of her mother Verity when the news of the siting emerged.

"I've never seen the children run out of the water so quickly," said Ms Thom.

The last pair out of the water were surfers Steve Derig and his 14-year-old son, Tim, from Auckland.

"I told my son to not look back and head in."

Mr Derig said he was normally not worried about swimming with sharks but with his son involved he decided it was better to be safe than sorry.

Mr Gould said sightings of hammerhead and bronze whaler sharks were not uncommon in the area, although it was normally later in the summer, and involved individuals or pairs.

"They come in hunting for mullet, penguins or kahawhai," he said.

The type of sharks sighted at Pakiri have yet to be established.

Inspector Barry Smaller of the police northern communications centre said no incidents were reported in relation to the sharks.

The sharks are likely to be the same group spotted off Omaha Beach, north of Auckland, this week.