Some incredible pictures of nature at its most brutal have been captured on camera by tourists off the coast of Paihia.
Just metres in front of a boat filled with tourists an orca put on a show by flipping its prey into the air.
"It just threw it into the air, about 35-40 feet into the air. It was spectacular to watch, unbelievable," says skipper Tim Maessen.
It was all caught on camera by tourists on a dolphin-spotting tour in the Bay of Islands.
The pod of pseudo orcas was their first sighting for the day and they could tell something was not right.
"I've never seen anything like it, the panic in the pseudo orcas was just incredible, everyone knew something was going to go a bit crazy," says boat photographer Tommy Hatwell.
And so it did as they realised the pod was being chased by eight orcas.
"I pressed the trigger on the camera and just kept pressing until it was all over. Everyone on the boat was in a bit of shock, not quite sure what had happened. They thought they were in a movie," says Hatwell.
The pictures have the marine community excited too, including marine biologist Karen Stockin.
"To have this kind of footage and to have this kind of photography where we can actually have a real glimpse of what's going on, it's special and it's special for us to be able to view it and it gives us an insight into both of these animals in terms of their biology," she says.
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