Pikowai Beach has become the final resting place for a juvenile whale this week.

Mimiha Road resident Rex Addenbrooke and his wife, Alyson, spotted the whale in the surf from their home above the beach on Wednesday morning and decided to investigate.

“I had to cross the waist-deep Mimiha Stream to get to the beach and found it was well decomposed. The jawbone was clearly visible,” said Addenbrooke.

He notified the Department of Conservation, which arrived promptly at the site along with local iwi.

The jawbone was removed and the whale, believed to be a juvenile humpback, was buried not far from where it was found.

Humpback whales are classified as a migrant and non-resident native species as they migrate from Antarctica during winter and back during spring.

They are frequent visitors to the coastal waters of New Zealand when they undertake seasonal long-distance migrations between their summer feeding grounds in high latitudes and their winter calving and breeding grounds in tropical or near-tropical waters.

DoC advises people to keep their distance, secure pets and contact them immediately if they find a beached or deceased whale. They can be a health and safety risk due to the possibility of diseases, parasites, or bacteria.

DoC can be contacted on 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468). If a whale is found alive, contact Project Jonah on 0800 494 253. Photos supplied