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Story: Whales

Whales in New Zealand waters

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Whales in New Zealand waters

This map shows the distribution of the Bryde’s whale, the sperm whale and the southern right whale. The right whale was once very common around New Zealand but is now largely confined to the Auckland and Campbell islands. Also shown are the migration routes of the humpback whale. It moves from the Antarctic up the coasts of New Zealand to tropical waters around Tonga, and then back down again. The route through Cook Strait is now only rarely used.

Using this item

Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

Source: Geoffrey J. Cox, Whale watch: a guide to New Zealand’s whales and dolphins. Auckland: William Collins, 1990; and Rob Svisted and Nadine Gibbs, Areas of special significance for marine mammals in New Zealand. Poster. Wellington: Department of Conservation, 1999.

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How to cite this page

Gerard Hutching, Whales – Whales in New Zealand, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/map/7052/whales-in-new-zealand-waters (accessed 14 June 2026).

Story by Gerard Hutching, published 2 March 2009.