A 15m dead whale has washed up on Parapara Beach in Golden Bay, Tasman.
A Department of Conservation (DoC) spokesperson said the whale was spotted offshore on Tuesday and was presumed dead.
“It is approximately 15m long and at this stage, we are still working to identify what species it is,” the spokesperson said.
A Project Jonah spokesman told NZME he believes it’s a baleen whale but wasn’t able to confirm the species yet.
“The distinct colouring of the skin is natural for large whales which wash up already dead.”
Project Jonah hadn’t visited the whale but said DoC is in discussions with local iwi to determine if the whale will be removed from the beach.
Doc said Manawhenua ki Mohua iwi will perform a karakia for the whale while they still assess what to do next with the body.
According to the DoC website blue whales are commonly found around the Golden Bay area.
It comes as a whale stranded on Kaitorete Spit, along the coast of Canterbury, was euthanised last month.
The vehicle was damaged while later being towed and an $11k claim by the owner followed.