Stranded whales wait in estuary

Volunteers last night comforted whales that had been moved to a nearby stream. Photo / Richard Robinson

Dozens of bleary-eyed, shivering volunteers were set to spend last night in a freezing Far North estuary, fighting to keep 24 stranded whales alive.

The pilot whales were moved from the windswept sands of Spirits Bay near Cape Reinga to a shallow river 200m from the beach yesterday.

The Department of Conservation and Project Jonah will try to refloat the whales in a calmer spot today.

Helpers who travelled from as far away as Tauranga have been unable to refloat the whales because of rough seas and high winds.

Rare blue skies yesterday meant the department was able to lift the whales with diggers to a safe spot in metre-deep water.

Volunteer Wendy Turner had not rested since arriving on Wednesday evening. She spent the night in the surf, trying to prevent the whales rolling and beaching.

"It was full on when we arrived. But then there was just a tranquil, quiet night spent in the water, talking to the whales, calming them down."

Twenty whales died in the stranding, but many more were believed to have perished in the shallows.

After the drama of Wednesday night, volunteers worked yesterday to keep the whales wet, and dig them out of the soft sand so they could be moved.

Some volunteers became tearful as the first whale was lifted from the sand.

"So many have died already, it fills me with anguish," said one woman. "But there is some relief in saving these ones."

When placed in the estuary some of the whales became excited and tried to swim away from their carers.

Several helpers who had not slept in 48 hours faced another sleepless night. With three people to each whale, they planned to take hourly shifts in the bitterly cold water.

Ranger Nick Conrad said: "Sometimes the emotions run over and people don't want to leave the whales. But we have to look after humans too, people have been getting too cold."

The whales could face a long wait before they swim in the ocean again. DoC expected the water at Spirits Bay to remain rough for three more days, making it impossible to refloat the whales there.

Operations manager Patrick Whaley said the department planned to hoist the whales on to trucks and put them back in the sea on a quieter East Coast beach.

Orca Research Trust founder Ingrid Visser said the conditions for the stranding were horrendous.

"It's a logistical nightmare. They've stranded in a very remote spot, in terrible weather. So few people have equipment here, or wetsuits.

"There were animals alive in the surf in the night, and we just couldn't get to them. It's tragic."

Spirits Bay was a rugged, flat beach at the end of a 15km gravel road. Transporting the whales would cause them considerable distress, Dr Visser said. "But at least, for now, they are off the beach, and not as stressed."

A makeshift community sprang up at the Spirits Bay campground as teachers, students, engineers, families, and local iwi dropped everything to help rescue the animals.

Shayni Hawkins and Tamra Gibson had left their dive shop in Tutukaka to help with the stranding.

"We've had about an hour's sleep," said Shayni. "But the whales can't get themselves off the beach. So we're here for the long haul."