Stranded whale on South Beach unable to be saved

Long finned pilot whales are renowned for getting stranded, Project Jonah's Daren Grover said. Photo / Supplied

A long-finned pilot whale stranded on the beach north of Whangaehu has died despite efforts from the Department of Conservation, iwi and locals to refloat the cetacean.

The whale was discovered on South Beach heading towards Whangaehu at around 12pm on Thursday.

It died around 8.30 that evening. DOC rangers spent all Friday at the site with iwi.

Long-finned pilot whales roam throughout the cold temperate waters of the Southern Ocean.

Their short-finned counterparts tend to inhabit more sub-tropical and tropical zones.

General manager of Project Jonah Daren Grover said pilot whales get stranded regularly.

Project Jonah is a volunteer organisation which works with marine animals.

"The long-finned pilot whales hold the unwanted record of being the species that strands the most often in New Zealand," Grover said.

"They often strand in large social ponds. That's the worry. When we hear about a pilot whale that has stranded, it is very rare for a pilot whale to be a solo animal.

"So far, so good. We haven't seen any reports of other pilots in the area."

Long finned pilot whales are renowned for getting stranded, Project Jonah's Daren Grover said. Photo / Supplied

Grover said because the whale was solo, it was likely to be weak due to health or age.

"What that means is this animal likely had an underlying health condition or, like all animals, they have a shelf life and it was very, very old and the rest of the pod has continued.

"Rather than struggling to swim to the surface, it has just come up to the beach."

Grover said female pilot whales tend to live around 60 years and males around 30-45 years.

Statistically, pilot whale strandings tend to happen more in the summer than winter but increasing water temperatures due to climate change has meant the whales may be hanging around the New Zealand coast for longer, said Grover.

"There is a worry there might be pilots closer to our shores all year around now rather than the prevalent summer months."

Grover urged the public to call DOC (0800 362 468) or Project Jonah (0800 494 253) if they site a stranded whale.

"If there is no report, please call. Both have 24-hour hotlines. We will give direct advice on the spot. We can give them an idea on what to do and how to respond because it is very easy to do the wrong thing when you think you are doing the right thing."

The Department of Conservation have been approached for comments.