Ambergris whale poo find could make Whangaruru, Far North local $20,000 richer

Northland resident Carol Armitage may have stumbled upon a valuable lump of ambergris. Photos Tania Whyte / Carol Armitage

A chance beach discovery by a Whangaruru local was nothing to sniff at after stumbling upon what might be a $20,000 whale poo.

Carol Armitage of Teal Bay said she didn’t want to get “too excited”.

Following a recent period of strong surf, Armitage discovered a small lump of waxy organic substance. It was actually Ruru, her dog, that made the find owing to its strong smell.

As president of the Whangaruru Coast Guard who lives in the bay, the find struck her as unusual and something she had not encountered before.

She would have left it on the beach had a friend who works at Northland Dive not told her about an ambergris discovery they had made.

Teal Bay on Northland's east coast. Photo / Susan Botting

Ambergris is an incredibly valuable substance used in perfume and chemical production. Formed in the digestive tract of sperm whales, it is a byproduct of the animal’s diet eating giant squids. This makes it extremely hard to come meaning ambergris dealers will pay up to $40 per gram.

Considering Armitage’s Teal Bay discovery weighs 496g- it could be an extremely valuable poo.

Having passed the sniff tests, Armitage said that she was now trying to find someone to verify the find.

A Northland resident may have stumbled upon a valuable lump of ambergris. Photo / Carol Armitage

As a byproduct or part of a marine mammal, those discovering the substance are required to report ambergris finds to the Department of Conservation. However, unlike whale ivory, people collecting ambergris can sell their finds.

“Ambergris finds are not unusual, from January 2022 until January 2024 there were 18 reports of ambergris finds made to DoC,” says Hannah Hendriks, marine technical adviser for the department.

”If you find bones, teeth, ivory, or ambergris which have already separated naturally from a marine mammal, a permit is not required to hold it but you must notify DoC.”

The department has an online marine mammal parts notification form.

Unlike ivory or whale bones, ambergris is considered a natural byproduct and is therefore not governed by the international Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Under CITES, which is administered by DoC in New Zealand, you may need a permit or certificate to take whale products out of New Zealand.

DoC was unable to verify the identify the deposit from the photos, however there are several ambergris dealers which verify and buy the substance from the public.

One of these dealers, Ambergris NZ says the most commonly substances misidentified as ambergris are pumice, sea kidneys or dog faeces.

In 2008 a 100kg deposit on Wellington’s South Beach sparked a “bizarre gold rush” until the substance was later identified as congealed cooking fat.