Most of the whales stuck in a mass stranding in an isolated northern Coromandel bay have been refloated.
The stranded whales at Colville Bay on the Coromandel Peninsula. Photo: Facebook/Project Jonah New Zealand
Project Jonah, the Department of Conservation and community members have been working to save the pod of pilot whales after they became stranded at Colville Bay on Saturday morning.
Department of Conservation's Coromandel district operations manager Nick Kelly said 26 whales had died, but between 40 and 50 have been refloated about three nautical miles out of the bay.
The dead whales were buried yesterday with iwi present and locals are urged to keep an eye out for any whales getting restranded.
