A pod of 38 pilot whales has been found stranded on a beach south of Haast on the West Coast - and only 10 are still alive.
The Department of Conservation said they were alerted to the stranding yesterday afternoon and the whales have now been stranded for more than 30 hours.
Locals and Makaawhio iwi members had cared for the whales overnight, but a refloat attempt was not possible, DOC said, due to high swells during the high tide which would have put people in danger.
The next high tide is at 2pm and a refloat of the surviving whales is likely to take place then.
Project Jonah general manager Daren Grover told 1 NEWS he is on the road heading for Haast, and that the whales are south along the coastline towards Jackson Bay.
Mr Grover said there are already enough trained people helping, and that there is no need for volunteers from the public at this time.
Access to the whales is difficult and dangerous, as they are located in the inter-tidal zone between the high and low tide marks, he said.
The whales are split between two sides of a river mouth, and one side is only accessible by boat.
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