KEY POINTS:
Two mass strandings in 48 hours have left 54 pilot whales dead on Ruakaka and Uretiti beaches south of Whangarei.
In the first stranding on Friday near the Marsden Pt oil refinery, 40 whales were refloated by Department of Conservation staff and community volunteers.
Another 37 were found dead or dying and were buried on public conservation land nearby.
DoC staff and nearly 100 volunteers turned out again further down the beach at Uretiti on Saturday when about 45 whales beached themselves in a second stranding.
DoC, New Zealand Oil Refining Company and Coastguard boats, joined by private boaties, manoeuvred off the beach to help herd refloated whales out to sea.
Department of Conservation Whangarei marine co-ordinator Alan Fleming said yesterday 17 whales died on the beach but at least another 28 were successfully refloated.
They were later seen 3km east of Bream Head swimming strongly out to sea.
An aerial search of the area yesterday turned up no sightings of the pod.
Mr Fleming said local iwi would bone some of the 17 dead animals left on the beach before they were buried.
DoC spokesman Reuben Williams said pilot whales were known to restrand themselves as they had in the weekend but no one knew exactly why.
Meanwhile, a pod of 30 pilot whales was reported to be in Tryphena Harbour on Great Barrier Island yesterday afternoon.
It was not known if they were from the same group that had stranded on the Northland coast.
DoC area manager Dale Tawa said the Tryphena pod, with several young, were being monitored although they were not stranded.
"They may be sheltering from the high winds and rough seas. We're keeping an eye on them."
