Three male sperm whales that washed ashore at Northland Beach were killed.
The Conservation Department said today that whales were spotted at Ripiro Beach on the Poutu Peninsula near Dargaville on Monday evening.
A spokeswoman, Abigail Monteith, said a member of the public had spotted the whales and notified the department.
The staff followed them all night, but they passed away on Tuesday morning.
The Conservation Department’s acting Kauri Coast Operations Manager, Stephanie Hayes, has asked the public to stay away from the site until the burial is complete.
“We work in collaboration with the Vaikaretu Marae and Te Uri o Hau neighborhoods. Our main task now is to ensure the safety of the population and the burial of whales. “
