Dozens of pilot whales that have been stranded at Puponga Beach in New Zealand are being refloated.

Volunteers are pouring water over the whales, and clearing their airways so they can breathe.

The volunteers say it is difficult to push the mammals back to sea. The tail-end of a cyclone is forecast to pass through Golden Bay, and this could be the last opportunity to refloat them.

Dozens of whales have already died and some had been euthanised from the 70 that were initially stranded. But local media says 46 whales have been saved and are now swimming in deeper water.

The area of Farewell Spit is a classic whale trap, due to a large tidal flat, and hundreds of whales have died getting stranded in the past decade.