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Conservation workers were this evening trying to refloat a minke whale stranded in Northland.
The whale, thought to be female, stranded about 8am at Owe Beach near Whatuwhiwhi.
DOC staff, with the support of locals and technical advice from Project Jonah, are in the process of refloating the whale, DOC Kaitaia spokeswoman Carolyn Smith said.
The eight-metre-long minke is in a pontoon aboard a fishing charter boat, being taken back to sea.
"It's starting to breathe and spout."
High tide is not due until 7pm, so the process to refloat is going better than expected, Smith said.
Up to 80 members of the community and local iwi have been monitoring the whale and keeping it wet all day.
No other whales are in sight off the Kerikeri coast.
- © Fairfax NZ News
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