Crowds of people this afternoon managed to save all but 4 of about 30 pilot whales that stranded on Northland's Ruakaka Beach

Whale rescue organisation, Project Jonah's medics responded to the mass stranding

The tide was going out when the whales became beached.

Project Jonah volunteers asked the large crowd that gathered on the beach to form a human wall and make banging sounds in an effort to stop the whales restranding.

The whales that died were three adults and one calf.