Whales were refloated during high tide and shepherded to deeper waters by several boats
About 1,000 locals and holidaymakers had spent several hours assisting the beached whales on the Coromandel Peninsula in the North Island."Seven surviving pilot whales have been shepherded out of Matarangi Harbour. Our staff are burying four dead whales," the department of conservation tweeted.
The marine conservation group Project Jonah had earlier appealed for trained medics to go to Mararangi to assist with the rescue. "While the locals are doing a great job, if you are a trained medic on holiday in the region, your help would be greatly appreciated," Project Jonah said on its Facebook page.
Short-finned pilot whales are closely related to the long-finned pilot whales that are regularly involved in mass strandings in New Zealand waters. Two years ago, more than 330 pilot whales died in two strandings at Farewell Spit at the top of New Zealand's South Island.
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