Whale Watching Worldwide
Whale Watching Worldwide
Whale Watching Worldwide
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South Island<br />
Year Number of<br />
whale<br />
watchers<br />
AAGR Number of<br />
operators<br />
Direct<br />
expenditure<br />
Indirect<br />
expenditure<br />
Total<br />
expenditure<br />
2004 307,532 N/A 55 $15,071,149 $48,100,948 $63,172,097<br />
2008 399,080 6.8% 52 $22,156,145 $30,080,775 $52,236,920<br />
Capital City: Wellington<br />
<strong>Whale</strong> Watch Locations:<br />
01: Kaikoura<br />
02: Akaroa<br />
03: Fiordland<br />
04: Marlborough Sounds<br />
05: Tasman Bay<br />
06: Westland<br />
The South Island of New Zealand supports the majority of whale<br />
watching opportunities in the country and boasts the internationally<br />
famous whale and dolphin watching locations at Kaikoura and<br />
Akaroa – an estimated 40% of total New Zealand whale watching trips occurred in these two well‐known<br />
whale watching destinations in 2008.<br />
Sperm whales and smaller cetaceans such as dusky dolphins and to a lesser extent Hector’s dolphins are the<br />
main species viewed in Kaikoura by the two boat and three aircraft operators based there. This is the only<br />
location in the country with dedicated cruises that target primarily large cetaceans (sperm whales), and it<br />
attracts a significant portion of the country’s whale watchers. It is also the only location in New Zealand<br />
where dedicated whale watching flights (fixed wing and helicopter) are undertaken.<br />
Akaroa, near Christchurch, has a large dolphin watching industry based on the Hector’s dolphin, one of the<br />
world’s smallest dolphins and endemic to New Zealand. The industry specialises in swim with dolphin<br />
experiences.<br />
The Fiordland region received close to 1 million visitors in 2007 59 with a key attraction for most being a<br />
cruise through the spectacular fiords. While there are few dedicated dolphin watching operations in<br />
Fiordland, the main cruise companies rely heavily on bottlenose dolphins as an important part of their<br />
marketing materials and the Department of Conservation reports that approximately ten marine mammal<br />
permits are issued for this region. Research for this report included an estimate of 180,000 opportunistic<br />
whale watchers in the Fiordland and Southland regions.<br />
Other cetacean watching locations around the South Island include the Marlborough Sounds, Tasman Bay<br />
and Westland.<br />
59 Ministry of Tourism, ‘New Zealand Regional Tourism Forecasts 2008‐2014: Fiordland RTO’, accessed November, 2008,<br />
available online at: http://www.trcnz.govt.nz/By‐Region/South‐Island/Fiordland‐RTO‐2008‐‐‐2014/<br />
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