The raging storm has finally eased and the sky is clearing. “Come to the upper deck,” I shout to my partner Scott, as we drop anchor in Erebus Cove in Port Ross. I gaze at the bay bathed in a timid morning light. Everywhere I look I can see and hear spouts. Whales everywhere, as far as the eyes can see. 

It is June 2021, in the middle of New Zealand winter, and together with a team of nine, we have spent the last 36 hours crossing the infamous stretch of water between Bluff, the bottom of Aotearoa New Zealand’s South island, and Maungahuka, the Auckland Islands, in the Subantarctic. I am taking part in a three-week scientific expedition, documenting the hard work of Dr Emma Carroll, the onboard scientist and associate professor from the University of Auckland Waipapa Taumata Rau, who has been studying Southern right whales for 15 years. 

Southern right whales are a critical species for conservation efforts in New Zealand. Historically, the population was hunted to near extinction during the late 1800s by commercial whaling, and their slow reproductive rates made them particularly vulnerable to annihilation. Southern right whales were the perfect quarry for whalers; the species was considered the ‘right’ whale to hunt due to its slow speed and ability to float after being killed.

Today, the whales continue to face threats from climate change, entanglement in fishing gear or vessel collisions. But in recognition of the importance of protecting these whales, New Zealand has established a number of conservation measures. For example, the Auckland Islands – Motu Maha Marine Reserve, created in 1993, is the only known breeding ground in New Zealand for this species. The whales gather here annually from May or June to September to mate and give birth. The government has further instituted regulations to limit the speed and proximity of boats in areas where the whales are known to congregate.

The remote Auckland Islands are located in the southern Pacific Ocean about 465 kilometres south of New Zealand. They are part of New Zealand’s subantarctic archipelago, which also includes the Campbell Island group, the Antipodes Islands, and the Bounty Islands. They encompass a total area of 57,000 hectares and are a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to their unique ecology and biodiversity. They are home to a significant number of subantarctic invertebrates and some of the rarest birds on earth. The sanctuary spans approximately 12 nautical miles around the archipelago. Entry is heavily regulated by governmental permits, and visitor numbers are limited. During the winter season, these islands are strictly closed to all tourism, allowing just a handful of research vessels. In 2021, our 78-foot-vessel Strannik is one of the only two allowed.