DATELINE: 8 January 2003

BATTLE TO SAVE BEACHED PILOT WHALES AT NZ DIVE SITE

Over 150 migrating pilot whales have become stranded on the beaches of Stewart Island, southern New Zealand.
Local people have been working to refloat the whales and have managed to get 40 or so back off the beach and into the water. The remote island is the most southerly point of new Zealand and is popular with divers because of the rich variety of marine life. The island lies in the path of many migrating species of whales.