Three whales, believed to be Gray's beaked whales, have become stuck on a beach near Tauranga in New Zealand, close to the ill-fated MV Rena, which has been wedged in for over three weeks now on Astrolabe Reef in Bay of Plenty.

One of the whales, a much younger one, had died, but the others, both mature whales, are still alive albeit unable to breach the shallow water.

NZ Department of Conservation have been trying to refloat the mature whales on the incoming tide, according to NZ Herald.

The beach in which the whales are stuck is part of the area that is still closed to the public due to Rena's oil spill. The Herald has received information from DOC that the whales seemed free of the toxic oil.

The baby whale will be examined post mortem to determine how it died, but DOC is ruling out oil spill as the cause for now.