Washed up sperm whale set alight

The 16m sperm whale was washed up near Cape Palliser in the Wairarapa. Photo / Supplied

A huge sperm whale has been torched and butchered after washing up on a beach in the Wairarapa.

The 16m whale was found dead late on Thursday at the tip of a rocky outcrop between Ngawi and Mangatoetoe near Cape Palliser.

Its jawbone had been removed by the time Ngawi mailman Gordon Wyeth found it after being "given the nod" by locals.

Wyeth said there didn't appear to be any injuries but the large mammal was on its side and injuries to the underside could have been obscured.

Wyeth photographed it along with a Massey University photography student who was in the area on study leave and took advantage of the chance encounter to add to his photo portfolio.

On Friday the carcass had been set on fire and was burning furiously when Department of Conservation staff arrived to measure and assess the whale.

The photo was taken before the whale was set alight.