Nine pilot whales have become stranded at Farewell Spit, at the northern tip of Golden Bay in the South Island.

New Zealand’s Department of Conservation (DOC) was on-site on Tuesday and volunteers have been helping to keep the whales hydrated and comfortable overnight.

Among those lending a hand were three students on holiday in nearby Puponga: Kara Tait, a student from Wellington, and Maddie Gallagher and Sam Cleverley, both students from Dunedin.

Tait told Stuff that upon hearing about the stranding through a neighbourhood WhatsApp group, they drove down to assist.

“We had buckets of water that we were pouring on them, and we did just that for about an hour or so,” Tait said.

“There are about nine pilot whales stranded at Farewell Spit right now. DOC said they expect that more may come overnight.”

The group worked to keep the whales hydrated alongside the DOC staff, who instructed them to return in the morning to help with the next steps.

“They told us to come back in the morning because, when it gets dark, the sharks come out. Some of the whales already had bite marks on them,” Tait said.

“DOC also said the high tide might help the whales get back to sea, but if not, we’ll go back tomorrow to try to herd them out.

“Farewell Spit has a history of whale stranding, and DOC told the student group that they suspect this may be the same pod that stranded earlier in December.

“They said it is a pretty commonplace for them to come in,” Tait added.