Washed-up rare whale being dissected at Te Papa

A whale washed up at Puponga in Golden Bay is being dissected at Te Papa.

The gingko-toothed beaked whale, only the second such find in New Zealand, was "extraordinary", said Te Papa's marine mammal collection manager, Anton van Helden.

It was a member of a "very poorly known species", only 20 of which had been discovered worldwide, he said.