273 pilot whales beach in New Zealand, 230 die.

Mass strandings on New Zealand's Coromandel peninsula

December 2009. 125 pilot whales have died on New Zealand's Coromandel Peninsula when they stranded on the beach at Colville. Conservation workers, helped by hundreds of local residents, managed to refloat more than 40 whales, which were being monitored to make sure that they didn't re-strand.

Rescuers monitored the survivors as they swam away from Colville Beach on North Island's Coromandel peninsula, and by Monday morning they were reported well out to sea.

105 long-finned pilot whales
In a second stranding 105 long-finned pilot whales stranded on New Zealand's South Island at Golden Bay. By the time they were discovered they had been out of the water for a long time and it was not possible to save any of the whales.

Common strandings
For some reason, as yet unknown to scientists, many whales strand on New Zealand's beaches every summer as they migrate to their breeding grounds.