People try to rescue a pod of whales stranded on the shore at Farewell Spit, in Golden Bay, New Zealand January 8, 2026 .Project Jonah New Zealand/Handout via REUTERS
AUCKLAND, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Fifteen whales restranded and six have died after a mass stranding at Farewell Spit on the coast of New Zealand’s South Island, conservation group Project Jonah said on Friday, as volunteers prepared to attempt to refloat them.
On Thursday, 55 whales were stranded in two locations in Farewell Spit, a 26-kilometre (16-mile) sandbar at the northern tip of the South Island. Most of them were refloated.
Project Jonah, in a statement on Facebook, said teams had been checking beaches across Golden Bay, where Farewell Spit is located, for other stranded whales and are working to keep the surviving animals cool and comfortable until the afternoon high tide.
“These whales have restranded along the high-tide line, which adds to the complexity of the refloat,” Project Jonah said in an update.
Farewell Spit has been the site of numerous whale strandings over the years. It is a remote location with no facilities and those travelling to the area are being reminded to stock up on energy snacks, food, toiletries and water.
(Reporting by Lucy CraymerEditing by Bill Berkrot)
