The body of a Gray's beaked whale that stranded twice in Timaru last night has been moved from Caroline Bay for a blessing.

Timaru beach-goers are being commended for their work to save the whale that stranded twice in Caroline Bay last night.

After the first stranding at 7:30 locals managed to refloat the whale, and trained medics and rescue teams arrived, but it stranded again at 10 o'clock and died within half an hour.

Project Jonah's Darren Glover said the whale's uncharacteristic behaviour suggests it was sick, injured or dying of old age.

"These whales tend to live in deeper ocean waters, so they rarely come close to shore, and when they do, that's usually a sign that something may be wrong. More often they're observed in small pods, it is unusual to just see one of these."

Glover said they'll work with Ngai Tahu to choose a burial site.

"It will be moved to an area along the coast where it's less populated, [and] it'll be buried. Part of that procedure will be an involvement from the local iwi- they will bless the whale, they will bless its spirit into the next life."