On 27 November 2011, a local was walking along the beach at Waiatoto Spit in remote South Westland when they saw a five-metre-long whale. It had the distinct smell of decay, a clear indication it had died long before they arrived.
They told the Department of Conservation of their find, expecting the outcome to be no more than a good beach story to tell. What turned this normal stroll into an exceptional event, however, is that this beachcomber
