Christchurch canterbury, whale watching in new zealand. New type of killer whale found swimming in southern ocean. New zealand has one of the highest rates of whale strandings in the world, and fridays event was the nations thirdbiggest in recorded history. This full day tour includes a scenic drive from christchurch over the canterbury plains before arriving in the majestic seaside village of kaikoura. Look for impressive sperm whales along with migrating humpbacks and southern right whales, and search the waters for orcas and other dolphins as an experienced guide shares informative commentary. Moutohora is a small uninhabited island located off the bay of plenty coast of new zealands north island, about 9 kilometres. Print this humpback whale new zealand animal poster out and display it in your classroom when studying new zealand animals. Killer whales surround new zealand swimmer the weather. Other species of baleen whales were usually seen further out to sea as they migrated between their antarctic feeding grounds and breeding grounds in warmer latitudes. For some of new zealands beached whales, a happy return. The app was developed by whale and dolphin conservation and saferme in collaboration with doc. The whale stranding was the largest in the country since 1985, when 450 were stranded near auckland.
Various types of dolphins live here, too, and occasionally you can also see orcas or other big whales. It moves from the antarctic up the coasts of new zealand to tropical. Orcas playing with swimmer at hahei beach, new zealand. During these months we most commonly have the opportunity to view pods of orca as they pass by, usually in pods of between 612 individuals 2 or 3 times a month. If you want to see whales, you should aim to visit between may and july and take a boat or kayaking tour. A dead pilot whale lay on a beach at farewell spit in new zealand on saturday as volunteers tried to help the stranded whales that still had a chance of surviving. Almost half the worlds 80 species of whales, dolphins and porpoises are found in.
A contemporary story of love, rejection and triumph as a young maori girl fights to fulfill a destiny her grandfather refuses to recognize. New zealands national museum, te papa tongarewa, has the worlds largest collection of beaked whale skeletons. Beaked whales live in the open ocean and dive around 300m for squid. Pdf documentation of a new zealand blue whale population. There were plenty of them, and new zealand provided safe waters and a place to stock up on food and wood. Wellington, new zealandwhale lovers in new zealand finally got some good news after more than 200 stranded whales managed to refloat themselves overnight and. After our route had taken us from picton all the way down the west coast, we saved kaikoura and whale watching as the last highlight of.
New zealand has one of the highest rates of whale strandings, which are believed to occur when. There are 90 species of whales, dolphins and porpoises, known collectively as cetaceans. Exploring new zealand is like no other experience, with towering mountain ranges, magnificent lush landscapes and striking coastlines making it a spectacular superyacht destination. New zealand has one of the highest rates of whale strandings in the world, and fridays event is the nations thirdbiggest recorded stranding. Grisly cleanup follows deaths of 400 whales in new zealand. If you need help identifying species, download the marine mammal sighting form word, 4,300k. In addition to the sperm whale, a number of different species of whale have been sighted off our coastline, including blues, humpbacks, rights and orca.
Whales most versatile high performance pump design. Whale marine brochure french v2 whale products and services are available worldwide. Kneeboarder gets visit from curious killer whale in new. The weather in new zealand is often best during the months of october march, so if you prefer the warmer kind of days then whale watching during the nz summer is a good bet. For example, the critically endangered brydes whale is one such. Once in kaikoura we will make our way to a lookout to enjoy spectacular views of this pretty seaside village, the. Whale watch kaikoura, which works closely with new zealands department of conservation doc, has set a global. Another 200 whales were stranded on a new zealand coastline late saturday, frustrating rescuers who had battled through the day and even defied a shark threat to try and keep them at sea. Whale watch kaikoura from christchurch, new zealand. Whale watching in new zealand is predominantly centered around the areas of kaikoura and. Reports of sightings are always valuable and help increase our knowledge of whale distribution and movements around new zealand.
Scott simon talks with andrew lamason of the new zealand department of conservation about the crisis. Auckland dolphin and whale watching ecosafari cruise 2020. Kaikoura and whale watching puttering around the world. A trip to auckland for new years eve where we spent the day on a boat seeing dolphins and brydes whales in the hauraki gulf. Youll board a spacious catamaran at viaduct harbour and hear expert guides share informative commentary about new zealands natural wonders. They round up their prey by swimming in tight circles and. Whale watching has a certain tradition in new zealand. While kaikoura in the south island is new zealands whale watching capital, you can go whale. According to project jonah, a whale rescue group, new zealand has one of the highest rates of whale strandings in the world, and on average about 300 whales and dolphins beach themselves on kiwi. Also shown are the migration routes of the humpback whale. New zealand has earned its reputation as the marine mammal capital of the world because of its profusion of.
Kaikoura, new zealands most visited wildlife destination, is home to several internationally recognised wildlife tourism operators including whale watch kaikoura, encounter kaikoura which runs dolphin and albatross tours, kaikoura kayaks, wings over. If you need help identifying species, download the marine mammal sighting form. New zealand is one of the best places to watch sperm whales, all year long. Part of the pacific ocean, the hauraki gulf covers an area of 4000 km. More than 200 whales swim away after new zealand stranding. Volunteers look after stranded pilot whales as they prepare to refloat them after one of the countrys largest recorded mass whale strandings, in golden bay, south island, new zealand, on feb. Whale watching off new zealands kaikoura coast has become a major tourist attraction.
Whales are a very common sight in the waters off kaikoura because of a 2kilometre underwater canyon that sits beside the coast. First choose a region, then select the country below for a list of distributors for trade retail customers and retailers for consumers. A blue whale population lives in new zealand waters for part of the year. Auckland is privileged to witness whales at play in the beautiful hauraki gulf marine park. The new zealand marine mammals protection act mmpa was enacted in 1978, and this led to the establishment of the marine mammals protection regulations mmpr in 1988 with subsequent updates in 1992 and 2008. As such, these regulations were already in place and could be applied to the commencement of whale watching in kaikoura in 1989 although they were not applied. New type of killer whale found swimming in southern ocean the notion that there might be some new kind of killer whale emerged in 1955, when photos from new zealand showed a bunch of unusual. Experience the natural treasures of new zealand on a kaikoura whalewatching cruise. The park is full of a diverse range of rare and exotic ocean life. Over the next 10 years, the seas around new zealand became a popular place to catch whales. The southern right whale is the baleen whale most closely associated with new zealand because it used to come inshore to sheltered harbours to mate and calve. Kaikoura is known as new zealand s whale watching mecca. New zealand was a major centre for whaling throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, as large whales migrated up the east coast of both the main islands, and used some harbours for calving.
Image 2018 new zealand sperm whale is a totally free png image with transparent background and its resolution is. Known as the whale capital, kaikoura is a worldfamous whale watching site, in particular for sperm whales which is currently the most abundant of. Whales different types of whales new zealand tourist. Over 51 known species of marine mammals and some 50% of the worlds cetacean species can be found in new zealand waters. A drone captures a curious killer whale following a kneeboarder in new zealands tindall bay.
Tours are offered since the 90ies, mostly on the southern island, the northern island following its lead. As a geographically isolated country with many unique plants and animals, new zealand has a strong interest in species conservation. New zealand volunteers formed a human chain in the water at a remote beach on friday as they tried to save about 100 whales after more than 400 of the creatures beached themselves in one of the. Hundreds of whales dead after mass stranding in new zealand. During the whale and dolphin safari, keep an eye out for six types of whales that frequent these waters, as well as seabirds such as australasian gannets, petrels and terns. With keisha castlehughes, rawiri paratene, vicky haughton, cliff curtis. Whaletrips new zealand best tips for whale watching in. On new zealands golden bay, nearly 700 pilot whales have washed ashore and many have died. The grays, arnoux, caviers and the southern straptoothed whale is the most common seen in new zealand waters. Whale watch kaikoura is new zealands ultimate all year round natural experience get up close up to giant sperm whales, the largest toothed predators an impressive 95%. They vary in length from 3m to m, they have a small head, beak and bulging forehead.
A lot of american and french whalers arrived in the 1830s. Orca and brydes whales are regular visitors to new zealands most picturesque spot, adding another reason to visit this stunning region. An official from new zealands department of conservation said about 300 volunteers had joined conservation. It moves from the antarctic up the coasts of new zealand to tropical waters around tonga, and then back down again. Whale watching tourism in new zealand generally focuses on sperm and brydes whales, bottlenose, common, dusky, and hectors dolphins. Desperate efforts are underway to save dozens of pilot whales still alive after hundreds stranded themselves on a new zealand beach, in the third largest mass stranding in the countrys history.
The incident is being called one of the worst whale beachings in new zealands history. Whether youre looking for an activity that gets your pulse. Whale watch is new zealands only vessel based whale watching company offering an exciting upclose encounter with the worlds largest toothed predator the. In the absence of any work on the behaviour of live animals, research in new zealand concentrates on stranded whales. I was watching a pod of orcas swimming up the beach, i saw a swimmer swimming along shore directly towards them, at. Whale watch is new zealands only vessel based whale watching company offering an exciting upclose encounter with the worlds largest toothed predator the giant sperm whale in their natural environment at all times of the year, our 95% success rate means. From the enormous blue whale to the tiny vaquita and new zealand dolphin, you will find information and amazing facts about many of these incredible creatures in our species guide. Young humpback whale spotted in wellington harbour rnz news.
New zealand has one of the worlds highest rates of whale strandings, as they pass by on their way to breeding grounds from antarctic waters. Whale watching in new zealand is predominantly centered around the areas of kaikoura and the hauraki gulf. Kaikoura, on the east coast of the south island, is one of the only places in the world where you can easily see sperm whales. Discover the fascinating world of the whales, dolphins, seals and marine birds that. Filmed on 4 december at hahei beach on the coromandel peninsular, new zealand. You can use the images and descriptions to find out which species of whale you observed. Whale watch kaikoura kaikoura tour hasslefree tours. Kaikoura is known as new zealands whalewatching mecca. Volunteers fight to save hundreds of whales beached in new. More than 400 whales beach themselves in new zealand cbs. New zealand is renowned as one of the worlds best whale watching. Authorities in new zealand are planning to cut holes in 300 whale carcasses today to avoid them exploding as they decompose on golden bay after more than 600 whales became stranded.
New marina marks new start for kaikoura new zealand. Sperm whales, the largest of the toothed whales, grow to over 15 metres in length. Five hydrophones in the stb recorded the new zealand blue whale call type on 99. He said people needed to remember new zealand was still in alert level 3, and they should not gather on the waterfront. Whale watching started in the late 1980s and now attracts over 550,000 tourists per year 1. The right whale was once very common around new zealand but is now largely confined to the auckland and campbell islands. Kaikoura and whale watching were one of the places and experiences that will forever live in our memories. This clever bilge pump design allows great versatility in installation so that you can fit the pump in the orientation to best suit your boat. The first whaling ship, from america, came to new zealand waters in 1791.
1352 1498 1196 736 1090 1487 17 520 125 33 23 1252 563 153 1231 1005 741 849 1262 131 1318 404 1165 881 1239 763 877 734 1124 1380 1014 946 718 225 216 1066 1316 1416