Spotting a shark at Pukehina Beach turned into an opportunity to capture some moments by drone for Gareth Tipene and his friends.

The shark stayed for a few days, providing adults and children with an unforgettable holiday experience.

The shark spent its time over several days swimming along leisurely in shallow water between Palm Park and Ororoa Reserve.

'I was staying at a friend's place on the beach, there on holiday,” says Gareth.

'My friends saw it. All the neighbours could see it - we had spotted a shark a few minutes earlier so I went to get my drone. My friends spotted it again as I was getting the drone set up and you can see them pointing it out in the video.”

One of Gareth's friends paddled out to the shark on his stand up paddleboard.

'The battery on my drone was almost flat so I didn't have much time to film it,” says Gareth.

'The shark hung around and we saw it most days.”

'It was a good experience. It was exciting for everyone, including the neighbours, and the kids especially.”