Seven whales were successfully herded back to sea after they survived a mass stranding at a New Zealand beach yesterday, conservation officials said.

About 1,000 locals and holidaymakers had spent several hours comforting the beached whales on the Coromandel Peninsula in the North Island.

They were refloated during the afternoon high tide and shepherded to deeper waters by several boats. “Seven surviving (short-finned) pilot whales have been shepherded out of Matarangi Harbour.  Our staff are burying four dead whales,” the department of conservation tweeted.

The marine conservation group Project Jonah had earlier appealed for trained medics to go to Mararangi to assist with the rescue.