Emotional scenes as whale rescue volunteers sang to and even named many of the pilot whales stranded - and those refloated - on Farewell Spit.

Volunteers desperately trying to save 100 surviving whales that have beached on Farewell Spit are being warned about the risk of sharks in the water.

Hope for survivors of one of NZ's largest ever whale strandings is "slowly slipping away".

A whale rescue expert is critical Department of Conservation crews didn't act sooner in last night's devastating whale stranding.

This week, the Herald takes a look at Kiwis who are dedicated to helping our animals. Today Jamie Morton talks to Project Jonah's Daren Glover.

Locals were unable to save whale that repeatedly stranded on popular beach.

Rescuers were hard at work in Browns Bay, Auckland on Saturday getting a stranded whale back into the water.

Joel Stransky first played against Lomu moments after Nelson Mandela shook hands with the players before the 1995 Rugby World Cup final in Johannesburg.

A whale that washed up last week around 40km north of Muriwai beach on Auckland's west coast will be left to rot, the Department of Conservation says.

DoC was forced to end the misery of seven whales that re-beached themselves at Rarawa Bay.

More than half of the 24 whales being refloated in the Far North this evening have made it into the water, but three have died.

Volunteers last night comforted stranded whales that had been moved from a Far North beach to a nearby stream.