Marine Life and Seabirds

The coast of New Zealand is home to some of the world's best-loved sea mammals. It has a reputation as one of the most accessible places in the world to see marine life and seabirds.

Whales

Sperm whales are seen all year round diving for food in the deep undersea trench off the coast at Kaikoura. Around 200 Orca, or Killer whales, live in New Zealand waters (though more closely related to dolphins than whales) and are frequently seen, sometimes dancing on their tails. Humpback and Pilot whales also live in coastal waters but are more rarely observed. Whale-watching trips are common, well-organised, often educational and many operators donate money to marine life research. Popular places to see whales are Kaikoura, Bay of Islands, Bay of Plenty and the Hauraki Gulf (near Auckland).

Dolphins

Four main species of dolphin live off the New Zealand coast and all are loved and remembered by visitors. The Common, Bottlenose, Dusky and Hector's dolphins enjoy riding the bow waves of boats performing acrobatic tricks, especially the ‘Duskies' which are particularly playful. The small and endangered Hector's dolphin is only found in New Zealand and sightings are a special but not infrequent treat. Dolphin-watching trips are popular and some offer the chance to swim with these friendly and inquisitive creatures, which many people rate as their best experience of New Zealand. Kaikoura, Hauraki Gulf, Banks Peninsular and Bay of Islands are popular dolphin-watching spots.

Seals

The native New Zealand fur seal is most abundant in Northland, Bay of Plenty, Abel Tasman & Kaikoura. Fur seals are more inquisitive & playful than dolphins and swimming with them in their colonies is highly rated as a result. Opportunities to observe seals on beaches are frequent but approach with caution as seals can be aggressive on land. Look out too for the Hooker's sea lion, found on the Otago Peninsula and The Caitlins, a little further south.

Penguins

The small, timid Little Blue penguin is frequently sighted on the Otago Peninsula all year round. The rarer Yellow-Eyed penguin can be found around Christchurch and The Caitlins, whilst Fjordland and Stewart Island are home to the Fjordland Crested variety. The best spots to see penguins in their natural habitat are The Banks Peninsular, near Christchurch, and The Otago Pensinsular, near Dunedin.

Albatross

Spending over 80% of their lives at sea these magical birds fly solo around the world many times before returning time and again to the same place to breed. They have a huge wingspan of 3m and often reach 40-60 years of age. New Zealand, it's Antarctic islands and Chatham Island are important sites for the world's albatross population, especially for varieties of Royal Albatross. The Taiaroa Head breeding colony on the Otago Pensinsular is one of only two places in the world where these great birds breed on the mainland, though you may be lucky to see an albatross off the coast elsewhere around the South Island.