Ambergris is a wax-like substance secreted in sperm whale intestines, and it protects the whale's stomach from its abrasive diet of beaked squid. It has been used for centuries as a fixative for expensive perfumes, as it traps aroma on the skin for long periods.


The 40-kilogram find was equivalent to the normal total annual export of the substance, which sometimes washes up on west coast beaches in Northland.Dargaville broker Adrienne Beuse said up to $10,000 a kilogram could be paid to the finder of highest quality white ambergris washed up on a beach, and as much as $40,000 a kg was paid inside the perfume industry.


When brokers were contacted, potential buyers flew to Wairarapa from France and the United States. The ambergris was eventually sold to a French company, although Mr Te Whaiti could not disclose the amount paid under the terms of the sale.



To refer to ambergris as the "gold of the sea" would be apt: it sells at roughly $20-$65 a gram while gold sells for $30. Also like gold, it's one of the few recession-proof commodities. According to Adrienne Beuse, owner of New Zealand-based Ambergris Essentials, an international trader of raw ambergris: "If I have the supply, I’ll always be able to sell it."