Four pilot whales dead after getting stranded on Ruakākā beach in Northland

Wednesday, 18 September 2019

Four pilot whales died in the stranding on Ruakākā Beach.

Four whales have died after becoming stranded along a Northland Beach.

Conservation charity Project Jonah said it sent medics to the Bream Bay area of Ruakākā to help with the rescue on Wednesday, but all the pilot whales had died.

Communications manager Louisa Hawkes said there were still a few hundred people at the beach sitting and watching, but currently no help was needed.

'[The rest of the pod] have been sighted off shore, if things change and they head in-shore then we will let people know and ask them to head down to the beach.'

* Five pygmy whales euthanised after restranding on Northland beach

* Two whales euthanised during refloat of stranded whales on Northland beach**

Patuharakeke kaumātua Pera Mackie said seeing the number of people gathered showed the aroha of the community.

'The good thing about it, it was not just local iwi but Māori and Pākehā,' he said.

All whales stranded along the Ruakākā Beach have died.

'We have made a decision – [the whales] will go straight from here to where they are going to be buried [in the sand dunes]. We will say a karakia and that will be their final resting place.'

The whales would not be used for their bones, he said, they would be treated like people.

Department of Conservation marine mammal ranger Dr Cat Peters said a group had waded into the water to turn the whales' bodies around, on advice from local iwi, to maintain their connection with the ocean and their family.

She said they also wanted to move them slightly further in so they wouldn't draw the rest of the pod back to shore.

DOC was also asking people to stay clear of the beach as the rest of the pod was now well clear of the shore.

Mackie said Tangaroa, the god of the sea, was 'looking after his finest – he has called them'.

Project Jonah first received reports that whales had stranded near Mangawhai on Tuesday night. Local medics were contacted and put on standby.

Cat Peters says volunteers want to move the whales further up the shore to stop them drawing the rest of the pod in.

Early Wednesday morning, the team said: 'The pod that were seen last night swam north and some have stranded this morning.

'It is thought that three of the whales have already died and others have been seen milling close offshore.'

About 8.30am, Hawkes said they had been notified the fourth stranded whale had also died.

Residents living along the coast were asked to keep an eye on the whales during the day.

If any appeared to become stranded, Hawkes said the team asked them to contact their hotline: 0800 494253.

The age of the dead whales was not yet known, Hawkes said.