Members of the public are being asked to stay away from an orca calf that's been spotted in the waters off the Bay of Plenty coastline recently.

Following sightings of the orca last week, which was spotted by itself for several days, the Department of Conservation has since called on national and international experts to assess the situation and formulate a plan on getting the calf back to its pod.

Members of the community are being asked to stay away from an orca calf that's been spotted in the Bay of Plenty recently. Photo: Project Jonah/Facebook

Western Bay Wildlife Trust chair Julia Graham says its hugely important that people, especially those in kayaks and boats, steer well clear of the calf which is 'very lost and probably very confused and scared”.

'It is very important this baby gets back to its mum, it is also extremely important that it has as little human interference as possible,” she says.

'Please don't looking for the calf, if you know where it is do not post its location or tell everyone so that the risk is minimised.”

Julia is also asking people who spot a pod of orca to call the DOC hotline on 0800 362 468 immediately so they can help reunite the calf with its mum.