By Emma Jolliff
A third attempt has been made to refloat a stranded pod of pilot whales at Farewell Spit, and finally it looks as though the volunteers are being rewarded for their efforts.
But still, it seems we're no closer to understanding mass strandings like this one.
This is day three of trying to re-float the herd of pilot whales.
"Coming out and walking up the beach and only seeing dead whales was really heartbreaking," says volunteer Lisa Dent.
The pod now numbers 33 after two more were put down this morning.
Members of the "human boom" were in water up to their necks trying to keep the whales out of the shallows.
Craig Potton has been ferrying volunteers to the whales half an hour along Farewell Spit.
"I've probably been watching strandings and involved in strandings and actively trying to get whales off this very area for 30 years, and I'm no better at predicting it than I was 30 years ago," he says.
Again they put one whale on a pontoon to try and entice others out to sea, though a similar attempt failed yesterday.
"There wasn't a noticeable reaction from the pod with the animal we had in the pontoon," says Department of Conservation ranger Darren Foxwell.
"It's just one of those things, sometimes it doesn't pan out the way you'd like it."
DoC says most are in surprisingly good health despite three days in the shallows.
"Fingers crossed they're absolutely going to go today," says Ms Dent.
Ninety-nine whales beached on Monday. Many were refloated but stranded again yesterday afternoon.
Volunteers are saddened by the whales' plight, but in awe of them too.
Finally today, there were some encouraging signs. At last check, the whales were swimming a few hundreds metres offshore and DoC told 3 News it's scaling down its response team.
3 News