An orca has had a lucky escape in the Hauraki Gulf this afternoon, after it became tangled in a line from a cray pot.

The Orca Research Trust's Dr Ingrid Visser says the marine mammals like to play with the pots and their buoys, which is the likely reason for it becoming tangled.

Dr Visser and several others scrambled to reach the orca and save it before it drowned.

She says the rescue was complex, with both animal and human having to put trust in each other.

"I was shaking like a leaf during the whole process because I was very worried that we wouldn't be able to complete the operation but she seems to be doing really well."