Remana Rudd keeps watch over the whale, which was first spotted in the waves at Hokio Beach early this morning.
Remana Rudd keeps watch over the whale, which was first spotted in the waves at Hokio Beach early this morning.
A huge whale that has washed up at Hokio Beach in Horowhenua is being watched over by manawhenua Muaūpoko until its burial later today.
Hokio Beach resident Denise Ramsey and partner Manu Miller were out walking their two dogs along the beach, west of Levin, at first light this morningwhen she spotted the whale beyond the breaking waves.
Ramsey (Ngāpuhi) said the whale was alive when she saw it but it looked distressed.
“It was definitely still alive,” she said.
Denise Ramsey was the first person to sight the whale at Hokio Beach while walking her dogs early this morning.
She said a mihi and karakia and returned home to alert Department of Conservation staff, who arrived with iwi within half an hour.
Ramsey said the whale must have died soon after she saw it.
“It was the first time I had experienced it. I cried my eyes out. It was really quite emotional. They are our whanaunga.”
Dean Wilson was one of several Muaūpoko at the beach watching over the whale. He said that, after a wānanga (discussion) with kaumātua and kuia, it was decided the whale would be buried in the dunes this afternoon.
The whale will be buried in the dunes near Hokio Beach.
As is tikanga, they would stay with the whale.
Remana Rudd was one of those tasked with watching over the whale and spent some time in the icy water. He was relieved of his duties occasionally to seek the warmth of a small fire on the beach being fed by driftwood.
Remana Rudd kept watch over the whale.
A huge digger from Graeme Bagrie Contracts was slowly making its way down the beach from the Waitarere Beach entrance about 3km away.
The digger would clear a massive hole in the dunes before dragging the whale to its resting place.
A digger makes its way down the beach towards the whale.
DoC senior ranger Dan Tuohy, who was at the site early this morning, suspected it was a baleen whale. The sex of the whale hadn’t yet been determined and he said it would be difficult to determine a cause of death.
Low tide is at 2pm. The next high tide is expected at 8.10pm.
It is almost two years to the day since the last whale washed up at Hokio Beach in almost the same place. It, too, was buried in the dunes.
