Pilot whales beached

Dozens of pilot whales have beached themselves on the Coromandel Peninsula.

Department of Conservation workers and hundreds of volunteers managed to help some of the whales back out to sea at Colville Bay, north of Coromandel township, while others died on the beach.

People were working to bury the whales before the tide came in, Newstalk ZB reported.

There was a fear the whales might try to return to the beach tonight.

- NZPA