Rare whale washed ashore

This very rare dwarf sperm whale came in and died on the foreshore of Ahipara down near the Te Neke ramp last Friday. Photo / Supplied

A rare dwarf sperm whale find at Ahipara last week was the third whale that has washed ashore in the area in three months.

Rueben Taipari Porter said the "very rare" dwarf sperm whale came in and died on the foreshore of Ahipara down near the Te Neke ramp on Friday, and part of its earbone will now be sent away to see if it can be determined if seismic testing had any part to play in its stranding.

"Unlike the mass stranding last week in Ohiwa Harbour, it was only the one male adult, and, though much smaller than the bryde and sperm whales that beached here a couple of months ago, this adult bull was still significant as these species are very rare," Mr Porter said.

"The physical analysis by hapu was that no major physical or health issues were evident during the flensing process. Apart from two cookie cutter shark bites and some worms under the whales tongue, its internal organs were in good health and he was well fed."

He said samples of its ear drums, liver and skin tissue have been sent away to the University of Auckland for forensic testing to determine its cause of death.

Samples from the two previous whale strandings have also been sent away for analysis and scientists and marine biology experts will be presenting their research at a hui in Ahipara next month on December 6.

Mr Porter said local hapu have a custom to name whales that beach.

"The name given to this whale was Tohunui, meaning a great sign, in recognition of the contentious seismic testing programme about to start next month 30kms south west of Tauroa Point," he said.

Members of Ahipara Komiti Takutaimoana extracted the ear bones from a sperm whale that washed up on Ninety Mile Beach on August 13 and a baleen whale that was found at Tauroa (Reef Point) near Ahipara on August 21.