The Stranding At Muriwai
In the early hours of 29th October 1974 a large harem school of 72 sperm whales stranded at a treacherous section of Muriwai Beach, just south of the entrance and bar of the Kaipara Harbour. I arrived later in the day to find a tragic scene of females and some infants lying dead and bleeding from wounds inflicted on the animals by early poachers using chain saws to sever their jaws to extract their teeth. I was overwhelmed by the immense tragedy as I saw it. I stayed with them that day and photographed them as the surf washed over their bodies. I returned many times over nine months to record the gradual assimilation of their remains to the sand and the sea. I recorded the initial rawness and shock of their bleeding bodies to eventually the weathered and bleached skeletons lying high on the sands of the beach.
Technical note: The series shown below is displayed in the order the photographs were taken. That is: by [film no]. [frame no] over nine months from 29th October, 197. The series loosely illustrates the entropic process chronologically.
34.1
34.2
34.3
34.4
34.8
34.6
34.7
34.8
34.9
34.10
34.11
34.12
35.1
35.2
35.3
35.4
35.5
35.6
35.7
35.8
35.9
35.10
35.11
35.12
36.1
36.2
36.3
36.4
36.5
36.6
36.7
36.8
36.9
36.10
36.11
36.12
37.3
37.4
37.5
37.8
37.9
37.10
37.11
37.12
38.1
38.2
38.3
38.4
28.5
38.6
38.7
38.8
38.9
38.11
38.12
40.1
40.2
40.3
40.4
40.5
40.6
40.7
40.8
40.9
40.10
40.11
40.12
50.5
50.6
50.7
50.9
50.12
51.1
51.2
51.3
51.4
51.5
51.6
51.7
51.8
51.9
51.10
51.11
72.1
72.3
72.6
72.7
72.12
74.2
74.4
74.6
75.1
75.3
76.1
76.3
76.6
76.8