the whales beached are not real, but the ones in the ocean are.
It sumbolise that koro is the chief of the Tribe
Right wales (see wikipedia for the film and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_whale).
yes but there are very few left in the world
In the story, the whale represents life and death. When Koro Apirana, Rawiri, and the guys are in the meeting house discussing what should be done, Koro Apirana states that if the whale dies, we die....