A Whaley Long Tail.
- pakawownz
- Jan 29
- 5 min read
Last Sunday morning I planned to put the finishing touches on a Men's Linen shirt that I had been working on. Before I headed into the sewing room I was having a morning cuppa and decided to check facebook. Immediately on my screen I saw images of stranded whales, and within moments I realized that the stranding was on our beach at the end of our road.
30 Long finned Pilot Whales had stranded at Pakawau Beach.
15 minutes later we were dressed in wetsuits stepping onto Pakawau Beach,
onto the sand and into the chaos.
There were cars parked everywhere down the sides of the roads, and hundreds of people on the beach. Many were in the shallow water helping calm the whales, others watched and took photos. The waves crashed in as the incoming tide brought the much needed water.
I joined a group and we decided to call our whale, No 7, Prince.
With some instructions from the Project Jonah team, the call was made and we started to try to help prince to get out to deeper water. Around us dozens of others tried to guide the other whales at the same time.
The weather was not on our side and strong incoming winds pounded us with waves as we tried to guide the whales out into the sea.
After about 6 hours I had to leave to rest and handed over to others who had come to help.
Unfortunately overnight the pod stranded again slightly further north on Pakawau Beach.
On the second day arriving at the stranding there were hundreds of people everywhere.
DOC staff on site let us know that they had more than enough people to keep the whales cool until the next refloat attempt.
News also arrived that another pod had stranded further north along the beach from Pakawau.
With enough people to help pod 1, we headed north and joined a small group of about nine volunteers trying to refloat the pod of 11 whales.
For the rest of the day we tried to convince the whales to swim for deeper waters but to no avail.
Volunteers came and went, but as dark descended and the tide receded again, Pod 2 once again re-stranded.
Exhausted people rested for the night, ready to try again in the morning.
Meanwhile, news from Pod 1 came, they had refloated the surviving 27 whales.
They were last seen swimming for deeper waters.
On Tuesday, Day Three we checked for updates as soon as we woke.
Pod 1 had not re-stranded.
Meanwhile we heard that yet another single whale had stranded at Patons Rock beach, but that had also been successfully refloated and swam away on the first tide, out to deeper waters and safety.
Pod 2 was still stranded, but more people were there now that it was the only active stranding left.
Volunteers kept the whales cool by pouring cool water and wet towels over them, helping to try to protect them from the hot sun.
When the tide came in we pushed to convince the pod to go to deeper water, but they were determined to stay in the shallows despite the efforts of everyone. They milled around in a ball, then charged us breaking through our line and pushing the pod back into shallow waters.
Unlike Pod 1 which had been very calm and relaxed these whales seemed agitated by our presence, and responded aggressively, attempting to torpedo and bite.
Again we spent most of the day in the water.
Again as dark came and the tide receded the whales stranded, but thanks to the effort of the volunteers they stranded close to the low tide line and closer to deeper water.
On Wednesday morning DOC staff assessed the whales, and late morning news came that another refloat would be attempted. Nine whales remained of the original 11 of Pod 2. This would probably be the last refloat attempt for the sake of the whales who weren't doing well.
With dozens of others we headed out into the water with the whales again.
Again the pod milled around in a ball.
The lead male of the pod, #106 was increasingly agitated by our presence. Circling the pod and charging through the line of people trying to stop the pod from re-standing.
Step by step, inch by inch, we slowly pushed the pod to deeper water.
Hours passed.
Exhaustion was setting in for a lot of the volunteers out in the water who had come from all over to help the whales with many spending all day in the water but knowing that this was likely the last chance to save this pod.
I stood in the water with Neighbours, children, farmers, artists, some homeschool mums who had driven over from Blenheim, holiday makers, tourists and a young man who had driven over on his brand new license from Rai Valley to help. People from all walks of life had gathered to try to help these amazing creatures.
Slowly we pushed for deeper and deeper water, and as the tide began to turn, we held the line and moved the whales to deeper water still.
Then suddenly the pod started to organize itself, and the whales started to face the same direction. 106 swam forward and returned to the group a couple of times checking the waters ahead, then returned to the group again.
A mum and her calf took their position at the front right of the group. and 106 took spot at the front left, with the others in clusters behind.
For a few moments they just sat there, then the group started to move forward, away from the shallows, into deeper water and we followed them, hands held, again forming the invisible wall to keep them from returning to shore.
First, we walked, but very quickly the whales picked up speed and they were losing us despite our efforts to follow them. Into deeper water they swam.
A few people swam after them for a while, and a boat waiting out in the bay watched their progress as they swam away.
We stood deep in the water and watched them swim further and further away until their specs disappeared from view.
Gone into deeper water, out into the ocean and to safety.
Exhausted but ecstatic we swam and waded our way back to shore.
Some experiences touch your soul.
As I sat in the sewing room putting the finishing touches on that Men's linen shirt and thinking about those four days in the water with whales, I feel so thankful for the hundreds of amazing people who came together to help and ultimately successfully refloat both pods.
This has truly been an incredible and exhausting experience, and I'm so proud of the effort my kids put in, spending hours and hours day after day in the water.
Well done to everyone involved,
so many amazing people coming together to help nature.
Want learn more about whales, strandings and how you can help?
Check out the Project Jonah Website for more information.
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