Excited visitors and locals spotted orca in Raglan Harbour on Tuesday 28th. The orca headed up the harbour and were seen off Moonlight Bay looking for stingrays. Photo taken by Olly Brunton.
Then on Wednesday the pod of orca headed down the west coast to Kawhia and entered an estuary near the town. But one of the orca became stranded there. It was successfully refloated from a beach on the estuary.
Constable Perry Griffin of Kawhia police said he got a call about the stranded female orca beached at an estuary near the town, 38km south of Raglan, about 9am.
A group of about 20 locals and holiday makers all helped keep the whale wet until it could be refloated with the tide.
“It appears the young female became stuck after it had been chasing stingrays in the estuary and while we were working there was a group of five or six other orca swimming a short distance off waiting to see if their mate would get free.”
Mr Griffin said it was a bit eerie working in the water with the other Orca nearby, despite having assurances from whale experts that they would not harm the rescuers.