Ocean Photojournalist Richard Robinson

At 7.30pm on Friday 24 September 2010 rescuers refloated 21 of the stranded Pilot Whales at Rarawa Beach. 50km from where they were first stranded three days earlier..During the next hour seven of the whales re-beached themselves leaving no option but had to euthanize them. .The surviving 14 whales were last seen heading out to sea, hailing the most ambitious whale rescue attempt in history a success...On Wednesday 22 September 2010 reports of approximately 80 Pilot Whales had stranded over 5km at the very remote Spirits Bay in the Far North of New Zealand. .Weather conditions across the Country had been horrendous and by night fall there was just 24 whales alive. With a 2 meter swell, gusting 100km/h winds and no sign of the weather improving a traditional rescue attempt at the beach was impossible...The Department of Conservation (DOC), Project Jonah, Orca Research Trust, Far North Whale Rescue, Local Iwi Ngati Kuri and hundredÕs of volunteers from across the country came together to attempt the most ambitious three day whale rescue in history... In the morning the surviving whales were moved to a near by stream where they could rest and recuperate for the night before being loaded onto six trucks packed with sand and hay then transported 50km South along windy dirt roads to sheltered Rarawa Beach where a refloat could be attempted in calmer waters..Photograph Richard Robinson .New Zealand Herald © 2010.