Holidaymakers and residents in Tauranga are being asked to keep an eye out for stranded whales and to report any sightings to the Project Jonah hotline.

The hotline to Project Jonah will be open all hours this Christmas and New Year as whale rescue volunteers remain on high alert for what is the peak stranding season.

Two whales were stranded on Papamoa Beach in October.

There has already been a number of whale strandings in the Bay of Plenty including two Grays Beaked whales on Papamoa Beach and one Pygmy Sperm whale on Ohope beach.

Project Jonah CEO Kimberly Muncaster says they want to encourage all New Zealanders to keep their eyes on the beach for signs of a stranding.

She says the key to a successful whale rescue operation is the quick response of the public.

'We need people to contact us or DOC immediately if they see any unusual whale behaviour close to shore or discover a dolphin or whale stranded.

'The sooner we're notified, the greater the chance of us saving them. We rely on everyday Kiwis to be our eyes all over the country.”

The team at Project Jonah will be manning the 0800 4 WHALE emergency hotline 24-hours-a-day throughout the Christmas season.

Kimberly says each year whales and dolphins strand on New Zealand shores, and while some are sick or injured, others are healthy and just need a helping hand back out to sea.

She says despite having one of the highest stranding rates in the world, New Zealand also has one of the highest rescue success rates.

Pilot whales are the species most commonly associated with mass strandings as they travel in large groups of 10-60 and will often merge with other groups to form larger pods.

Kimberly says pilot whales are an oceanic species that venture occasionally into coastal waters.

She says observation of this species close to shore should be reported immediately to the Department of Conservation on 0800 DOC HOT or to Project Jonah on 0800 4 WHALE.

Pilot whales can be identified by their dark grey/black colouring, bulbous head and low, long and broad-based dorsal fin.

Male pilot whales can grow up to six metres long.