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Ocean Calling

Ocean Atlas · Pacific

Pacific

New Zealand

Cool, wild seas with sperm whales and rare dolphins watched from the boat, and rich reef diving in protected marine reserves.

Rocky islet off the rugged Kaikoura coast, New Zealand
Kaikoura coast, South Island · Photo: Tegan Conway on Unsplash
Exploring

Ethics pass, open for travel. We found a way to visit this country that meets our animal-welfare standard. Checked by Ocean Calling on 30 Sep 2026. Sources: Restrictions for Te Pewhairangi (Bay of Islands) Marine Mammal Sanctuary, Department of Conservation; Proposed changes aim to better target dolphin protection efforts, Department of Conservation, 2 Mar 2026; Shark cage dive permits granted, Otago Daily Times, 2014.

🧭 Travel advice, checked 30 Sep 2026. The US State Department rates New Zealand at Level 1, exercise normal precautions (April 2026). Australia's Smartraveller also advises normal safety precautions and notes earthquakes and volcanic activity. Sources: US State Department travel advisory, New Zealand · Smartraveller travel advice, New Zealand Advice differs by passport: check your own government before you plan.

FreedivingScubaSnorkellingWhalesDolphins

Why New Zealand

At Kaikōura a deep sea canyon comes close to the coast, and sperm whales, dusky dolphins and fur seals may be seen from the boat all year. The Poor Knights Islands are a marine reserve with arches, caves and kelp reefs, and stingrays often move through the arches in the warmer months. In the Bay of Islands and the Hauraki Gulf, dolphins, Bryde's whales and sometimes orcas are watched from the boat, and in the Bay of Islands nobody enters the water within 300 m of them. At Akaroa the small Hector's dolphin lives only in New Zealand, so daily boat trips there are limited. Stewart Island and its clear kelp reserve suit very quiet trips. New Zealand law does not allow swimming with whales, and we keep all dolphin and seal time from the boat. The water is cool, so good wetsuits matter.

Conservation-led. Ocean Calling guests never chase, touch or bait animals.

New CaledoniaNew ZealandAustraliaKaikōura, New ZealandPoor Knights Islands, New ZealandBay of Islands, New ZealandHauraki Gulf, New ZealandAkaroa and Banks Peninsula, New Zealand

When to go

Year-round. Timing changes by place and by animal, so check each place below.

We have researched this place and keep learning about it. There is no trip here yet.

Our ethics check

Can we travel here ethically?

Ethics pass

Meets the Ocean Calling standard.

New Zealand has strong marine mammal laws, with fines up to 250,000 dollars or prison for harassing them, and in the Bay of Islands sanctuary nobody may enter the water within 300 m of a marine mammal. Shark cage dives in the south are allowed with berley, so we do not join them. We watch whales, dolphins and seals from the boat, at a calm distance.

Checked 30 Sep 2026. Places change, so we look again every year.

Sources for this check
Places we are exploring

Where in New Zealand

Short notes from our research. Wildlife is never guaranteed.

Kaikōura

Exploring

A deep sea canyon close to the mountains, with sperm whales, dusky dolphins and fur seals watched from the boat.

⛵ From the boat or shore, never in the water: Sperm whales (all year), Dusky dolphins (all year, often in big groups), New Zealand fur seals, Humpback whales (winter, passing), Orcas (occasional), Albatross and seabirds

When: Year-round. Sperm whales and dusky dolphins are here all year. Summer is warmer and calmer but busier. Humpback whales pass in winter.

Poor Knights Islands

Exploring

A protected island reserve with arches, caves and kelp reefs, for diving and snorkelling with rays and schooling fish.

🤿 In the water: Short-tail and long-tail stingrays (warmer months, in the arches), Schooling fish such as blue maomao, Kingfish, Moray eels and nudibranchs, Sponge gardens and black coral in deep water, Devil rays (occasional in summer)

⛵ From the boat or shore, never in the water: Common dolphins (from the boat), Seabirds such as shearwaters

When: Year-round. Water is warmest from January to April, around 20 to 23°C. Winter is colder but often clearer. Rays come in the warmer months, not every year the same.

Rules and fees: The Poor Knights have been a marine reserve since 1981. Nothing may be taken or disturbed, including shellfish and seaweed, and nobody may land on the islands or rocks.

Bay of Islands

Exploring

A sheltered bay of many islands with reef diving, freediving training and dolphins watched from a respectful distance.

🤿 In the water: Kelp and rocky reef life, Reef fish around the outer islands, A well known wreck covered in sea life

⛵ From the boat or shore, never in the water: Bottlenose dolphins (from the boat, 300 m away), Common dolphins (from the boat), Orcas (occasional), Bryde's whales (occasional)

When: Year-round. Diving and freediving run all year. Summer is warmest. Nobody enters the water within 300 m of dolphins or whales here.

Hauraki Gulf

Exploring

A large gulf near Auckland where Bryde's whales and common dolphins live all year, with easy snorkelling in a marine reserve.

🤿 In the water: Snapper and reef fish in the marine reserve, Kelp and rocky reef life

⛵ From the boat or shore, never in the water: Bryde's whales (all year), Common dolphins (all year), Orcas (occasional), Seabirds

When: Year-round. Whales and dolphins are here all year. Summer is best for snorkelling. Big ships slow down in the gulf to protect the whales.

Akaroa and Banks Peninsula

Exploring

A calm volcanic harbour where the small Hector's dolphin, found only in New Zealand, is watched quietly from the boat.

⛵ From the boat or shore, never in the water: Hector's dolphins (mostly in summer), New Zealand fur seals, Little penguins

When: Oct-Apr. Hector's dolphins are most often in the harbour from October to April. Boat trips are limited each day to protect them.

Animals

Animals recorded in New Zealand

Tap an animal to learn how it lives, where it travels and how to meet it respectfully.

Sperm whale mother raising her fluke beside her calf off DominicaSperm whalePhyseter macrocephalusSeen in 114 countries in the AtlasVulnerablePod of common dolphins surfacing in calm blue seaCommon dolphinDelphinus delphisSeen in 53 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernCommon bottlenose dolphin swimming over a seagrass bedCommon bottlenose dolphinTursiops truncatusSeen in 89 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernOrcas surfacing close together in calm Arctic Norwegian watersOrca (killer whale)Orcinus orcaSeen in 55 countries in the AtlasData DeficientBryde’s whale surfacing and exhaling in deep blue open oceanBryde's whaleBalaenoptera edeniSeen in 36 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernHumpback whale swimming close with long pectoral finHumpback whaleMegaptera novaeangliaeSeen in 87 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernSouthern right whale surfacing with V-shaped blow and pale callosities, ArgentinaSouthern right whaleEubalaena australisSeen in 7 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernTwo long-finned pilot whales surfacing side by sideLong-finned pilot whaleGlobicephala melasSeen in 24 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernWhite shark swimming under sunlit surface with small fish nearbyWhite sharkCarcharodon carchariasSeen in 17 countries in the AtlasVulnerableSpinetail devil ray gliding in blue water off Crete with small fishSpinetail devil rayMobula mobularSeen in 18 countries in the AtlasCritically EndangeredBasking shark swimming underwater in green water off Argyll, ScotlandBasking sharkCetorhinus maximusSeen in 23 countries in the AtlasEndangeredTwo dusky dolphins leaping above the water off Kaikōura, New Zealand, with mountains behindDusky dolphinLagenorhynchus obscurusSeen in 7 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernClose view of a New Zealand fur seal with its head raised and whiskers fanned out, another seal behind itNew Zealand fur sealArctocephalus forsteriSeen in 2 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernLittle penguin standing on wet rocks, with blue-grey back and white frontLittle penguinEudyptula minorSeen in 3 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernHector's dolphin leaping head-down above blue water, showing its rounded dorsal fin and pale undersideHector's dolphinCephalorhynchus hectoriSeen in 1 country in the AtlasEndangeredHuge spotted whale shark gliding through open blue waterWhale sharkRhincodon typusSeen in 54 countries in the AtlasEndangeredGreen turtle resting on the reef, shell and head pattern in sharp detailGreen turtleChelonia mydasSeen in 103 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernHawksbill turtle swimming, pointed beak in profileHawksbill turtleEretmochelys imbricataSeen in 88 countries in the AtlasCritically EndangeredLoggerhead turtle at the surface feeding on Portuguese man o' warLoggerhead turtleCaretta carettaSeen in 89 countries in the AtlasVulnerableBlue whale blowing a tall spout off San DiegoBlue whaleBalaenoptera musculusSeen in 29 countries in the AtlasEndangeredFin whale surfacing, showing its white right lower jawFin whaleBalaenoptera physalusSeen in 37 countries in the AtlasVulnerableBump-head sunfish swimming in blue water off Nusa PenidaOcean sunfish (mola)Mola molaSeen in 29 countries in the AtlasVulnerableBronze whaler shark swimming in green-blue waterBronze whaler (copper shark)Carcharhinus brachyurusSeen in 11 countries in the AtlasVulnerableDense Cape gannet colony at Lambert's Bay, Western CapeCape gannetMorus capensisSeen in 7 countries in the AtlasEndangeredBlue-spotted maskray resting on a sandy seabed beside a shellBlue-spotted stingrayNeotrygon kuhlii complexSeen in 15 countries in the AtlasVaries by speciesGiant oceanic manta with T-shaped white shoulder patches and remorasOceanic manta ray (giant manta)Mobula birostrisSeen in 31 countries in the AtlasEndangeredSei whale's tall dorsal fin breaking a calm sea surfaceSei whaleBalaenoptera borealisSeen in 24 countries in the AtlasEndangeredFalse killer whale surging through blue water off Rota, Mariana IslandsFalse killer whalePseudorca crassidensSeen in 41 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedCuvier's beaked whale surfacing, pale scarred head and small dorsal finCuvier's beaked whaleZiphius cavirostrisSeen in 42 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernLeatherback hatchling crossing the sand toward the seaLeatherback turtleDermochelys coriaceaSeen in 76 countries in the AtlasVulnerableOceanic whitetip shark with pilot fish in sunlit Red Sea waterOceanic whitetip sharkCarcharhinus longimanusSeen in 43 countries in the AtlasCritically EndangeredOlive ridley turtles nesting on Playa Ostional, Costa RicaOlive ridley turtleLepidochelys olivaceaSeen in 40 countries in the AtlasVulnerablePygmy blue whale spouting at the surface off New ZealandPygmy blue whaleBalaenoptera musculus brevicaudaSeen in 3 countries in the AtlasData DeficientGalápagos shark swimming low over a rocky seabedGalápagos sharkCarcharhinus galapagensisSeen in 15 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernPortuguese man o' war floating with purple crest off Pico, AzoresPortuguese man o' warPhysalia physalisSeen in 36 countries in the AtlasNot EvaluatedRed lionfish with spread fins over sand in Dauin, PhilippinesLionfish (red and common lionfish)Pterois volitans and Pterois milesSeen in 80 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernSmooth hammerhead swimming in clear blue open water off SpainSmooth hammerheadSphyrna zygaenaSeen in 26 countries in the AtlasVulnerableShortfin mako shark at Condor Bank in the North Atlantic, AzoresShortfin makoIsurus oxyrinchusSeen in 40 countries in the AtlasEndangeredBlue shark swimming in open blue water off the Azores with a diver in the backgroundBlue sharkPrionace glaucaSeen in 50 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedLarge southern elephant seal resting on a wet beach, face turned to the cameraSouthern elephant sealMirounga leoninaSeen in 11 countries in the AtlasVulnerableTwo pygmy sperm whales at the sea surface off the Azores, low backs and small hooked dorsal fins showingPygmy sperm whaleKogia brevicepsSeen in 23 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernSpiny dogfish resting on the seabed at the Josephine Marie shipwreck, Stellwagen Bank National Marine SanctuarySpiny dogfishSqualus acanthiasSeen in 47 countries in the AtlasVulnerableWedge-tailed shearwaters resting togetherWedge-tailed shearwaterArdenna pacificaSeen in 46 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernMasked booby on Ascension IslandMasked boobySula dactylatraSeen in 80 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernGrey noddy in Northland Region, New Zealand, iNaturalist research-grade observationGrey noddyAnous albivittaSeen in 5 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernRed-tailed tropicbird in Glendowie, Auckland, New Zealand, iNaturalist research-grade observationRed-tailed tropicbirdPhaethon rubricaudaSeen in 28 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernBlack noddy perched in a shrub on Tern Island, French Frigate ShoalsBlack noddyAnous minutusSeen in 37 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernPygmy right whale swimming in green water off southern Australia, seen from the side with its head and flipper visiblePygmy right whaleCaperea marginataSeen in 3 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernLeopard seal resting on rocks at the water's edge with its mouth wide openLeopard sealHydrurga leptonyxSeen in 7 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernAdult brown booby standing on a rock with its bill open against blue sky, PrincipeBrown boobySula leucogasterSeen in 104 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernAdult king penguin standing on short grass beside a large brown downy chickKing penguinAptenodytes patagonicusSeen in 10 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernGentoo penguins in shallow turquoise water at the shore, one leaping out of the sea, photographed in the Falkland IslandsGentoo penguinPygoscelis papuaSeen in 9 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernClose view of a rockhopper penguin with yellow crest feathers, red eye and orange-red bill, standing in tussock grassSouthern rockhopper penguinEudyptes chrysocomeSeen in 9 countries in the AtlasVulnerableThree black-browed albatrosses with their bills together at a Steeple Jason Island colony, against blue skyBlack-browed albatrossThalassarche melanophrisSeen in 21 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernClose view of a red-footed booby head with blue, pink and red bill and throat skin among green leavesRed-footed boobySula sulaSeen in 91 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernBroadnose sevengill shark close to the camera in a kelp forest, La Jolla Cove, CaliforniaBroadnose sevengill sharkNotorynchus cepedianusSeen in 8 countries in the AtlasVulnerableTwo giant Australian cuttlefish close together on an algae-covered reef at Port Bonython, South AustraliaGiant Australian cuttlefishAscarosepion apamaSeen in 2 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedCommon dolphins feeding on a dense shoal of sardines off the east coast of South Africa during the sardine runSouthern African sardine (sardine run)Sardinops sagaxSeen in 13 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernGreat cormorant perched on a branch, with white head plumes and a glossy blue-black backGreat cormorantPhalacrocorax carboSeen in 90 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernHuge flock of sooty shearwaters flying low over the sea beside a rocky coastSooty shearwaterArdenna griseaSeen in 53 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedGreat frigatebird in flight, with long angled wings and a forked tailGreat frigatebirdFregata minorSeen in 44 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernWilson's storm-petrel resting on calm water with its wings raised above its backWilson's storm-petrelOceanites oceanicusSeen in 41 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernLesser frigatebird soaring against a blue sky with its wings spread and tail forkedLesser frigatebirdFregata arielSeen in 39 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernTope shark swimming in clear shallow water, seen from the sideTope shark (school shark)Galeorhinus galeusSeen in 25 countries in the AtlasCritically EndangeredShort-tailed shearwater resting on the open seaShort-tailed shearwaterArdenna tenuirostrisSeen in 24 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernBluntnose sixgill shark swimming over the seabed at depth in the Gulf of MexicoBluntnose sixgill sharkHexanchus griseusSeen in 18 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedCommon thresher shark leaping clear of the water, its long upper tail lobe trailing belowCommon thresherAlopias vulpinusSeen in 16 countries in the AtlasVulnerableKitefin sharkDalatias lichaSeen in 17 countries in the AtlasVulnerableSmooth lanternsharkEtmopterus pusillusSeen in 16 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernSharpnose sevengill sharkHeptranchias perloSeen in 15 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedAtlantic torpedo (electric ray)Tetronarce nobilianaSeen in 15 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernWhite-chinned petrel floating on blue water with its white chin patch showingWhite-chinned petrelProcellaria aequinoctialisSeen in 14 countries in the AtlasVulnerableTwo dark dorsal fins of porbeagle sharks cutting the sea surfacePorbeagleLamna nasusSeen in 11 countries in the AtlasVulnerableLongnose velvet dogfishCentroselachus crepidaterSeen in 11 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedLeafscale gulper sharkCentrophorus squamosusSeen in 11 countries in the AtlasEndangeredLittle pied cormorant head and neck by the water, with a white face and yellow billLittle pied cormorantMicrocarbo melanoleucosSeen in 10 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernBirdbeak dogfishDeania calceaSeen in 8 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedPortuguese dogfishCentroscymnus coelolepisSeen in 8 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedLittle black cormorant perched on a rock at the water's edge, speckled grey-green plumage and slender billLittle black cormorantPhalacrocorax sulcirostrisSeen in 7 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernImperial shag perched on a rock at the water's edge, with an orange knob at the base of the billImperial shagLeucocarbo atricepsSeen in 7 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernShortnose spurdogSqualus megalopsSeen in 6 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernBlackbelly lanternsharkEtmopterus luciferSeen in 6 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernTwo subantarctic fur seals calling with open mouths on a rocky shoreSubantarctic fur sealArctocephalus tropicalisSeen in 5 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernStrap-toothed whale porpoising through grey-blue open water in the Drake PassageStrap-toothed whaleMesoplodon layardiiSeen in 4 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernRoyal penguin standing on rocks, yellow-orange crest and white faceRoyal penguinEudyptes schlegeliSeen in 3 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernTwo Gray's beaked whales surfacing at sea, grey backs and small dorsal finsGray's beaked whaleMesoplodon grayiSeen in 3 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernEastern rockhopper penguin standing on a rock, with a yellow crest above its red eyeEastern rockhopper penguinEudyptes filholiSeen in 3 countries in the AtlasNot EvaluatedFiordland crested penguin standing on a rock, yellow eyebrow crest visibleFiordland crested penguinEudyptes pachyrhynchusSeen in 2 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedGroup of crested penguins standing on a rocky shore beside kelpSnares penguinEudyptes robustusSeen in 2 countries in the AtlasVulnerableTwo erect-crested penguins side by side in tussock on Antipodes IslandErect-crested penguinEudyptes sclateriSeen in 2 countries in the AtlasEndangeredArnoux's beaked whale surfacing beside an iceberg in AntarcticaArnoux's beaked whaleBerardius arnuxiiSeen in 2 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernShepherd's beaked whale seen underwater near Inaccessible Island, Tristan da Cunha, with body parts labelledShepherd's beaked whaleTasmacetus shepherdiSeen in 2 countries in the AtlasData DeficientTwo yellow-eyed penguins standing on dark rocks above a beachYellow-eyed penguinMegadyptes antipodesSeen in 1 country in the AtlasEndangered
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