D'Urville Island boaties save whales

The Department of Conservation is praising the actions of boaties who prevented a whale stranding on D'Urville Island.

Conservation officer Robin Cox said boaties used their marine radios to alert the department to two stranded pilot whales at Port Hardy.

By the time a helicopter was sent, boats had managed to herd the two stranded whales and the rest of their pod out to sea.

"What the boaties did was fantastic," Mr Cox said. "If they didn't do that it would have taken us hours to get people there".