Pilot whales restrand in Golden Bay, euthanasia now possible

Ten pilot whales refloated from a Golden Bay beach Tuesday night have restranded.

The Department of Conservation (DOC) says rescuers are heading to the beach at Taupata Point, near Pakawau.

The whales originally beached early on Monday morning, with one dying on Tuesday before the remaining ten were refloated.

DOC operations manager Andrew Lamason says rescuers will work to keep the whales comfortable until the next high tide about 4pm.

"We are mindful that these whales have now stranded through multiple days. Some of our whale experts are making health assessments on the pod to determine if euthanasia is the more humane option for some or all of these whales," Lamason said.

"After a certain point, the likelihood of even refloated whales surviving diminishes significantly. The challenge is determining where the health of these whales is, relative to that point."