Learn about our kekeno, the NZ Fur Seal and check out our games, activities, arts and crafts and how you can better protect them! Kekeno NZ Fur Seal (Arctocephalus forsteri) Kekeno are the most common seal found in New Zealand. They are identifiable from other seals by their external ear flaps and hind flippers which rotate forward. Follow along to learn more about kekeno below. Besides for Kekeno, sea lions are the only other seal in NZ with ears. They way to tell kekeno apart is by checking if they have long whiskers and a pointy nose. They have two layers of fur to keep them warm and often found the rocky shores of New Zealand's coastline. Males grow up to 2.5m and 150 kg, whereas females grow up to 1.5m and 50 kg in weight. Kekeno Facts! General ACTIVITIES, CRAFTS, GAMES AND QUIZZES Throughout this page you'll find some fun activities and resources you can explore at home with your whānau and friends. Some of these resources have been put together with the help of our fantastic local organisations. A huge thank you to those people who have helped put these together for us, we appreciate your support! Don't forget to share your activities with us, either tag us on social media or email them to us at conservationkids@envirohub.co.nz Little blues can hold their breath under water for 2minutes. The deepest recorded kororā dive in New Zealand is 35m, although they can dive as deep as 60m. They have 3 different diving styles - U-shaped, V-shaped and W-shaped. Click the image below to find out more about little blue penguin behaviour and ecosystem health. Kekeno Facts! Diving Crafts: Kororā Kinetics! Racing Penguins! Make your own little blue penguin at home, to race and test out what makes them speed up and what makes them slow down. Click ME to download a FINGER PUPPET! Click the image to download the PDF! Kekeno Facts! Adaptations Kororā are the only blue penguins in the world and this helps them to camouflage above and below water. Their thick layer of feathers help them to keep warm, streamlined and waterproof. They secrete an oily liquid from their preen gland to help them waterproof their feathers. Kororā flippers act as paddles to help them swim and propel through water. Source: Gettyimages There are many threats to kororā, at all stages in their life (eggs, chicks, adults). Predators are the greatest threat to little blue penguins, some including dogs, cats, rats, stoats and hedgehogs. It is super important to keep dogs on a leash when walking along coastlines where kororā may be living! Kekeno Facts! Threats GAME - Penguin Pathways What threats do human's have on kororā? Try out the Penguin Pathways game created by NZ Marine Studies Centre. All you need to do is download the PDF below, which has step by step instructions. All you'll need is CHALK or MASKING TAPE, and a few of tamariki! Tamariki pretend to be penguins moving along the coastline and experience the threats may encounter day to day. Click the image to download the PDF sheet! Kekeno Facts! Breeding Nesting: Between May- June, pairs return to their nests and spend time there. Incubation: Between July- December, Usually lay a clutch of 2 eggs. Chick rearing: They take care of chicks for ~ 8 weeks. Fledge: Chicks fledge at ~8 weeks. By 10 weeks they have left the nest. ACTIVITY - Build a penguin nesting box Find out if your local coastline area is home to kororā, and if those managing the area would like you to make penguin nesting boxes. Click the image to find this box design! Kekeno Facts! Check out this neat video from Meet the Locals to see Kekeno in their natural habitat and what is unique about the species. Other Kekeno Resources Below you will find links to other Kororā resources, click the images to take you to the websites. Check them out! LIVE penguin monitoring A great way to monitor kororā yourself but without disturbing their nests is by watching live cams located in the boxes. Check this one out below: Kaewa the Kororā by Rachel Haydon Department of Conservation For more Little Blue Penguin information click the DOC image below. Kekeno Facts! What YOU can do! So... HOW CAN YOU HELP LITTLE BLUES? Glad you asked! Firstly, help to reduce our plastic waste. Plastic can end up in our oceans and harm not only our kororā but other marine species. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Refuse and Rot where possible! Keep an eye out for a beach cleanup near you and lend a helping hand. Click on the Plastic Free July logo, to help you get on your plastic free journey! Reduce plastic use! What you can do in your backyard: Help out your local trapping community. Practice trapping in your backyard, by putting up some traps around your property. If you have a pet cat, think about keeping them indoors at night-time, and have a bell on the collar. If you have a pet dog, make sure when on walks you keep your dog on a leash, especially around the coastline where kororā might be living. Use dog parks or off leash areas to allow your dog to let off steam. Get involved in coastal planting projects that might help encourage kororā to the area. Remember to be a tidy Kiwi and take rubbish home. What you can do when out and about: Go visit a Seal Colony! Visit Kaipūpū Sanctuary Kaipūpū Sanctuary is only ten minutes by water from Waitohi/Picton. On your visit, you may see fur seals, penguins, korimako, tūi, wētā and geckos (and many more). Rimu, miro, tōtara, ferns and many more varieties of plants feature. It is free to visit, but as a charity, your donations are welcome. Click on the Kaipūpū logo alongside to go to their website and find out more. Kekeno Gallery Images from our Seal Day events 2024 Kekeno Day

Zero Waste Dishwashing Trailer and Recycling Station Services Zero Waste Event Services Zero Waste Dishwashing Services Provide Zero Waste Services guide for vendors before event + pre-event vendor support Provide reusable crockery and utensils for food vendors (limited capacity so may not be for all vendors / at all times) Collect, wash, rinse, sterilize, dry and return crockery and utensils to vendors Provide trained staff and volunteers to run the Zero Waste Dishwashing Trailer Zero Waste Recycling Services Provide trained staff and volunteers to manage the recycling station to ensure the bins are not contaminated and the items can be recycled. Recycling bins are available for: Plastic, Aluminium, Clear Glass, Brown Glass, Green Glass, Cardboard Provide friendly and educational information for attendees regarding recycling and zero waste Recycling bins and collection of bins are to be organized by the event planner in conjunction with their waste management company. Interested in learning more about organizing a Zero Waste Event? Want to book our Zero Waste Dishwashing Trailer and Recycling Stations for your event? Email zerowaste@envirohub.co.nz

The 'Choose to Reuse Marlborough' Campaign working to make reusable cups the #1 choice for hot beverages in Marlborough. ☕❤ Choose to Reuse Marlborough Envirohub Marlborough has launched an exciting new campaign, Choose to Reuse Marlborough. Our vision.. To have reusable cups as the #1 choice for hot beverages in Marlborough. Components of the Campaign The campaign began with the June 2021 “Bring your Own Cup” Survey. This was aimed at the general community and in particular, hot takeaway beverage drinkers. This was followed closely by a second survey directed at cafes or businesses that sell hot takeaway beverages. Both of these surveys gave us (and are still giving) valuable information about Marlborough’s coffee culture whilst preparing our Marlborough audience for the campaign that was to follow. Next step was the launch of our campaign name and logo. This was designed to be specific to Marlburians and connect with them on a local level. “BYO Cup Monday” for the month of July followed the launch of the logo. Locals were encouraged to ‘Choose to Reuse’ by bringing their own cup for takeaway beverages. Locals and local cafes/businesses could share photos on social media of Malburians enjoying a hot beverage in their own BYO cup to promote reusables and have a chance to win prizes. Social media is an integral part of continuing to promote and encourage the ‘Choose to Reuse Marlborough’ message along with other important messages like encouraging drinkers to slow down and sit in, for children to encourage their parents to “Think before you drink” and to avoid texting in orders if they only come in single use cups. Messaging from campaigns around the country will also be used. Eg. uyo.nz Reusable Workshout Kits are an exciting part of the campaign also. These will be provided to Marlborough cafes (the more funding we get the more cafes we can support). The kits will include reusable coffee cups and a carrier. Marlburians want to share the love with their friends and coworkers and now they can in a way that is also kind to the environment. We hope this campaign will grow and that the cafes and coffee vendors in Marlborough will make it their own. We would love to have the campaign be able to support cafes who would like to move towards being single use cup free through cup swap programs (Again Again and CupCycling are two NZ-wide ones). Why do we need this Campaign 295 million beverage cups (many of them hot, takeaway beverage cups) are thrown away each year in New Zealand. 295 Million! These single use cups are produced using valuable resources and then used only a few minutes! As we currently don’t have commercial composting in Marlborough the “compostable” or “biodegradable” cups are also heading to the landfill and are actually even worse environmentally! Recycling isn’t an option either for most single use coffee cups as they generally made with paper or cardboard and then lined with plastic. In the past decade the amount of rubbish going to municipal landfills in New Zealand rose by 48% . We cannot continue like this. Using precious resources to create single use items and then promptly adding them to growing landfills. We desperately need to think before we drink and choose reusables. What Marlburians are saying in our June 2021 “Bring your Own Cup” Survey 80% of our survey respondents own a BYO cup for hot beverages, but less than 40% “often” or “always” bring it. We need to get the word out about the importance of choosing to reuse and to make BYO cup a normal, everyday thing. More than 70% of respondents said they would be more likely to go to a cafe making an effort to reduce single use cups. Let’s support the Marlborough cafes who are working to reduce waste and normalize reusables. Let’s encourage more cafes to join the reuse revolution! Who is Behind this Campaign Envirohub Marlborough Charitable Trust is a nonprofit organization in Marlborough. Our goal is to support a community focused on sustainability, working together to enhance and protect our Marlborough environment. We would love to help your cafe reduce single use cups! Please let us know how we can be of assistance. If you would like a "Reusable Cups Welcome Here" sticker for your door or coffee machine we will deliver it to you. Please contact Heather Barnes, Zero Waste Coordinator at zerowaste@envirohub.co.nz

Acerca de Volunteer Let’s Work Together! Envirohub Marlborough's aim is to unite, inspire and assist Marlburians to achieve their environmental goals. By encouraging locals to get more involved we maximise our environmental efforts in the region and strengthen our community. We have a variety of different volunteer opportunities available within our own organisation or through the environmental groups we work closely with so if you have a few hours of free time a week, a fortnight or even just occasionally, we would love to hear from you! Please submit the form below and we will be in touch. First Name Last Name Email Thanks for submitting! Message Send

Conservation Kids NZ Kids + Conservation = OUR FUTURE Our mission To inspire the young minds of NZ to take action for conservation! We love NZ. From the native bush to the marine mammals, we are passionate about protecting and preserving this beautiful backyard. It's this passion for conservation that has seen CKNZ grow from its humble beginnings to become a popular and well known club and charitable trust. By utilising resources and opportunities available to us in the community we are able to provide safe, fun and educational learning experiences that focus on conservation and the environment. Our events unite the young minds of NZ and encourage them to become more involved in conservation on a local, national and international level. We strongly believe that it's this environmental education of future generations that will ensure a much brighter future for not only the Marlborough Sounds but NZ as a whole. Want to contact us: conservationkids@envirohub.co.nz

SAVE OUR SPECIES PROGRAMME Save Our Species! Click on the links below to reveal all sorts of fun, information and ways YOU can help Save Our Species! Each link will become available after we have run the physical event, so if you see 'Coming Soon' you'll just have to wait a wee bit longer (but the wait will be worth it! We promise!!). Kōtare Kingfishers Click here Pekapeka Longtailed Bat Click here Moko Kākāriki Green Gecko Click here WēTāpunga NZ Giant Weta Click here Tūpoupou Hector's Dolphin Click here Hamupēke Humpback Whale Click here Kārearea NZ Falcon Click here Tuna NZ Eel Click here Waiharakeke Grass Skink Click here Rowi Kiwi Click here Kororā Little Blue Penguin Click here Tohorā Southern Right Whale Click here

Learn more about our community garden, future living skills courses and eco-friendly retail. Waitohi Picton Community Garden Project Newsletters Our newsletters can be viewed below by clicking on the images below. The newsletters are in the order of most recent first. Want to know the news as it happens? Want to keep in touch and be a part of the project? Great! We'd love to hear from you. Feel free to sign up to our mailing list by clicking on the link below: Subscribe to our Community Garden Newsletter! Email Join Newsletters & Updates Click on the images below for our previous newsletters and updates. Latest-September 2024 Update - March 2024 First steps - June 2022 Keen to volunteer or get more involved in this project? We'd love to hear from you! Register your interest CLICK HERE! Initial foundation works for stage one will be happening in winter/spring 2024 - opportunities to become involved may vary until the garden is better established and kicking off (hopefully!) in time for the summer! BUT there will be working bees and opportunities to work together - so please register your interest with us! If you have any further questions, please get in touch at communitygarden@envirohub.co.nz or pop into the Picton Environment Centre, 14 Auckland St (Picton). Follow us on Facebook to keep up-to-date- with news www.facebook.com/pictongarden

Branford Park Jan 2019 Exploring Branford park the Edible walk As a Pelorus group we went to explore Branford Park in Nelson, full of fruit and nut trees. The kids had a scavenger hunt to do along the way and we finished up with a picnic lunch in the shade.

Learn about our beautiful taonga species, the Tūpoupou Hector's Dolphins and check out our games, activities, arts and crafts and how you can better protect them! Kārearea ~ NZ Falcon Falco novaeseelandiae The Kārearea Falcon is endemic to NZ - meaning it can only be found here in Aotearoa. We have three types of Falcon in NZ: the Bush Falcon, the Eastern Falcon and the Southern Falcon. Follow along to learn more about our amazing birds of prey!! The content and resources on this page have kindly been put together with the support of the team at - Marlborough Falcon Trust - Make sure you go check them out! There are 38 species of Falcon found around the world but only one species is found here in NZ - the Kārearea. Today there are estimated to only be about 5,000-8,000 Kārearea left in NZ - making them a threatened species. Can you spot the NZ Falcon on our $20 bank note? Kārearea Facts! General ACTIVITIES, CRAFTS, GAMES AND QUIZZES Throughout this page you'll find some fun activities and resources you can explore at home with your whānau and friends. Some of these resources have been put together with the help of our fantastic local organisations. A huge thank you to those people who have helped put these together for us, we appreciate your support! Don't forget to share your activities with us, either tag us on social media or email them to us at conservationkids@envirohub.co.nz Image Credit - Mural found in Dunedin painted by Bruce Mahalski There is a Māori saying about how a kārearea’s cry would predict the weather, it goes like this: Ka tangi te kārewarewa ki waenga o te rangi pai, ka ua āpōpō. Ka tangi ki waenga o te rangi ua, ka paki āpōpō. Translation - When a kārearea screams in fine weather, next day there’ll be rain. When it screams in the rain, next day will be fine. Kārearea Facts! Te Ao Maori Art - Kārearea Face Mask DOC Kārearea Face Mask Department of Conservation have some really neat kids activities. Including this NZ Falcon face mask , click the image to download the PDF and get colouring! Click the image to head to their website! Kārearea Facts! Ecology & Diet Kārearea are called 'Birds of Prey' because they hunt other animals like smaller birds, rabbits and hares. NZ Falcons can fly up to 100kms per hour hunting from up high before diving down to attack their prey. Image -Credit - Marlborough Falcon Trust CRAFT - Make a Kārearea Scrape Make a Kārearea Scrape Have a go at making your very own Kārearea scrape - Falcon nest. You can even add some eggs to your nest, how many eggs did your falcon lay this season? Click the image to download the PDF sheet! Image Credit - Fern, Marlborough Falcon Trust Kārearea are mostly found in the bush and steep high country throughout Aotearoa. Here in Marlborough they are commonly found around the vineyards hunting for food. The only area of NZ you do not see them as often is the far north of the North Island. Kārearea Facts! Habitat Kārearea GAMES Grab some of your friends or whānau and have a go at these fun Kārearea games and activities . Rob the Kārearea Nest Have a go at this fun game to help demonstrate how predators affect the Falcon nests. Learn what you can do to help them to survive. Click on the image to download the instructions. If you give this game a go with your class or some friends take a picture or video a nd share it with us! Kārearea Facts! Breeding Kārearea make their nest on the ground, and it is called a 'scrape'. Each breeding season, between spring and summer they can lay anywhere between 1-4 eggs. The baby chicks hatch around 31 days and stay in the nest for up to 45 days before leaving. Check out this very cute video from Marlborough Falcon Trust of two birds feeding their chicks. ACTIVITY - Test Your Knowledge Test your Kārearea Knowledge Have a go at testing your knowledge on o ur native falcon, see what you have learnt. Click the image to download the quiz! Click the Falcon to download the answers. Image Credit - Marlborough Falcon Trust Did you know that the female Kārearea is bigger than the male? Female Kārearea can weigh around 500grams where the male is only about 350grams. In this photo you can see the size difference between local Marlborough Falcon Trust residents Dash and Wilson. Female falcon Dash is on the left and male falcon Wilson is on the right. Kārearea Facts! Crazy Facts! Other Kārearea / NZ Falcon Resources Below you will find links to other Kārearea resources, click the images to take you to the websites. Check them out! Marlborough Falcon Conservation Trust Website Wingspan, National Bird of Prey Centre Website Kārearea Fearless Falcon by Annemarie Florian Kārearea NZ Falcon by David Bell Kārearea Kids Activity Pack By Green Grubs DOC - Toyota Kiwi Guardian Activity Help look after our Kārearea NZ Falcons by becoming a Backyard Detective! Although the Toyota Kiwi Guardian program has now finished and you can no longer claim the medals, the activities are still a fantastic way for your tamariki to help support conservation and learn about native species. Below is a link to the "Backyard Detective" activity instructions! Make a tracking tunnel to find out what pest species you have in your backyard. Then you will know what action to take to help protect our Kārearea nests. Click the image to download a PDF Instruction sheet to learn how to become a Backyard Detective! Kārearea Facts! Threats Because our Kārearea like to make their nest on the ground they are often targeted by pests. Stoats, rats, cats and even dogs can steal their eggs. Another common threat to Falcons is actually powerlines! Falcons often perch on powerlines to stalk their prey, but when they open their wings to take flight, they can accidently hit the fittings on the transformer and be electrocuted. Fortunately, power companies such as Marlborough Lines are insulating their fittings when they do maintenance on the lines to help protect our Kārearea. Image Credit - Marlborough Falcon Trust Image Credit - Predator Free NZ So how can we help out native Kārearea? The best way to help our Kārearea is to protect their nests, you can do this by helping to control predators in your area. If you know of a falcons nest in your area, make sure you keep away from it. Be a responsible cat and dog owner by keeping your pets away from their nest and carry out pest control around your property. To help with predator control in your community, head on over to Predator Free NZ and get involved. Kārearea Facts! What YOU can do! Visit a Kārearea NZ Falcon How to tell the difference between a Falcon and a Swamp Harrier (Hawk) in the wild. You can see some of our local native falcons up close at the Marlborough Falcon Conservation Trust - Head on over to their website to find out more. Learn more about how to tell the difference HERE! Kārearea / NZ Falcon Gallery Images from some of our Kārearea Falcon events 2023 Kārearea NZ Falcon Day

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Learn about our beautiful taonga species, the Hamupēke | Humpback Whale and check out our games, activities, arts and crafts and how you can better protect them! Hamupēke Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) Humpback Whales are oft en found in our waters around Aotearoa during their annual migrations. These incredible mammals like to sometimes put on a show! Follow along to learn all about the humpback whale and how you might spot one out in our ocean. Humpback whales like to put on great displays and can often been seen breaching (jumping) out of the water. They are easy to identify by their very distinctive hump in front of a small dorsal fin. They also have extremely long pectoral fins (up to 1/3 of their body length!) and a broad fluke (tail). The marks on a humpbacks tail are unique to each humpback - like fingerprints are to a human. You can use these marking to help identify individual humpback whales! Hamupēke Facts! General ACTIVITIES, CRAFTS, GAMES AND QUIZZES Throughout this page you'll find some fun activities and resources you can explore at home with your whānau and friends. Some of these resources have been put together with the help of our fantastic local organisations. A huge thank you to those people who have helped put these together for us, we appreciate your support! Don't forget to share your activities with us, either tag us on social media or email them to us at conservationkids@envirohub.co.nz Image Credit - Andrea Izzotti Some tribes see whales as the descendants of Tangaroa, the god of the ocean. Whales possess a tapu (sacred) significance to Maori as both supernatural beings and as harbingers of personal change and spiritual growth. When whales appeared on long journeys by waka across the Pacific ocean, they were seen as a sign that the iwi should settle in that place. They were also seen as benevolent guardians when they swam alongside the waka, guiding the way through tumultuous Pacific storms towards the safety of land. Hamupēke Facts! Te Ao Maori Art - Create a Whale's Tail Create a Whale's Tail Whale Tails/Flukes are all differe nt and can be used to help identify individual whales. Have a go at creating your own unique patte rn for your own whale's fluke. Click the image to download the PDF! Hamupēke / Humpback whales feed on mostly small organisms such as tiny crustaceans called krill and even small fish. Humpback's have baleen plates in their mouth, these are large rows of keratin plates similar to human hair or fingernails. They filter feed by taking huge gulps, then filtering the water out leaving only the yummy crustaceans and fish behind to swallow. Click on this image to watch a video on how some humpback whales use bubble netting to feed! Hamupēke Facts! Ecology & Diet Image -Credit - Unknown CRAFT - Hamupēke Snacks Hamupēke Snacks Have some fun making an upcycled humpback whale from a toilet roll! Don't forget his baleen (instead of teeth) do you know what they made of in real life? Give your Hamupēke a name and make him some tasty snacks. This craft is to show how the large baleen plates in a humpback's mouth help to catch all their food! Don't forget to share your Hamupēke with us we would love to know its name. Click the image to download the PDF sheet! Image - Creator: Sean Steininger | Credit: Shutterstocki Hamupēke live all over the world - there are 14 distinct populations worldwide. The humpback whales we often see around the shores of NZ are from the Oceania population. Humpbacks are great migrators, traveling up to 16,000km each year! They like to feed in the colder Antarctic waters and migrate to warmer tropical waters for breeding and giving birth. You can often spot them migrating past NZ in the cooler months of June and July as they head north. Hamupēke Facts! Habitat Hamupēke GAMES Grab some of your friends or whānua and have a go at these fun Hamupēke games and activites. How Baleen Works This activity aim s to demonstrate how baleen plates work and how whales uses them to eat. Click on the image to download the instructions. If you give this game a go with your class or some friends take a pic or video a nd share it with us! How Long is a Hamupēke This activity aim s to demonstrate how larg e/long a humpback whale is. Get your friends and family toge ther, line up and visualize the length of a Humpback whale! Click on the image t o download the instructions. Image Credit - Unknown Humpback whales give birth to live young, just like us humans. A baby whale is called a calf. Whale calves are born tail first, then the mother guides the calf to the water surface for it to take its first breath. They suckle on their mum's milk which is rich and thick. The mother squirts the milk into the calf's mouth. Female Humpbacks only produce a calf every 2-3 years. Hamupēke Facts! Breeding ACTIVITY - Test Your Knowledge Test your knowledge - Parts of a Humpback Whale Have a go at testing your knowledge see how many parts of the whale you can name. Click on the image below to download the quiz and have a go. See how many you can answer! Click the image to download the quiz! Click the Humpback to download the answers. Ever wonder how the Humpback whale stays warm while swimming in the freezing water down in Antarctica ?? Well they have blubber - a fatty substance below their skin that helps to keep them warm. Check out this neat video from SciShow Kids that demonsrates how blubber works. Have a go at it your self - Did the blubber keep your hand warm? Don't forget to send us in a photo of you testing this out, we would love to hear all about your experiment. Hamupēke Facts! Crazy Facts! Other Hamupēke / Humpback Whale Resources Below you will find links to other Hamupēke resources, click the images to take you to the websites. Check them out! The Sea Swallow and the Humpbackwhale by Catherine Barr The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimarea Department of Conservation For more Humpback whale information click the image NOAA Fisheries For more Humpback information click the image Whale and Dolphin Conservation Become a whale guardian with WDC, check out their fun online digital progamme for kids. DOC - Toyota Kiwi Guardian Activity Help look after the humpback whales becoming a water champion! Although the Toyota Kiwi Guardian programme has now finished and you can no longer claim the medals. The activates are still a fantastic way for your tamariki to help support our conservation and native species. Below is a link to the "Water Champion" activity! Help to clean up a water way or coastline near you. Then take action to help protect it. Click the image to download a PDF Instruction sheet to learn how to become a Water Champion! Image Credit - Envirohistory NZ Historically, the biggest threat to our Humpback whales has been whaling, with this intensifying in the late 18th century up until 1965. Humpbacks were hunted in NZ waters, with hunters taking advantage of the migration seasons. Between 1911 and 1965, 4500 whales (mostly humpbacks) were caught in the Tory Channel alone. In 1965 the whaling industry collapsed with the whales had been hunted close to extinction. Since then, NZ has made large efforts to help protect our whales and help bring the numbers back. Whaling is now illegal in NZ waters, but there are still threats: plastic pollution and large boat strike are some of the biggest threats to our humpback whales today. Check out the next Hamupēke Fact to find out how you can help! Hamupēke Facts! Threats Hamupēke Facts! What YOU can do! So... How can you help protect our whales? Glad you asked! Firstly, help to reduce our plastic waste. Plastic can end up in our oceans and harm not only our whales but other marine species. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Refuse and Rot where possible! Keep an eye out for a beach cleanup near you and lend a helping hand. Image Credit - Envirohub Beach Clean Up event Image Credit - Department of Conservation NZ Act safely on the water around Humpacks When out on a boat there are ways you can safely observe any marine life you come across, especially whales and other marine mammals. Click HERE to learn how you can safely share our coast lines with our beautiful taonga of the ocean. Visit a Hamupēke - Humpback Whale Southern Humpbacks migrate past NZ on their way to the warmer waters of the Pacific to breed. One hot-spot to see them as they migrate is in Kaikōura . You can hop on a whale watch tour in hopes of seeing one from the water, or find a high vantage point somewhere along the coast and try your luck at spotting! Remember, anywhere in the world that you join a tour or wildlife experience, make sure you do your research and ensure the experience is ethical and have the animal's best interests in mind! KORI's annual Great Kaikoura Whale Count Each winter, around June/July, the Kaikōura Ocean Research Institute holds an annual whale count, where they count as many whales migrating past Kaikōura as they can, with a focus on the humpbacks. You can even vol unteer to head along and help them out and be a part of the action! Click on the KORI logo above to go to their website and find out more. Sadly in 2023 they did not receive the funding needed to carry out the whale coun, but you can still head along yourself and have a go at spotting some whales from the shore. A good spot to take your binoculars and try your hand at spotting whales is from the top of Kaikōura peninsular track. Whale Blow Identification Have a go at identifying some whale's from the shore - different whales have unique blows when they come to the surface for air. This chart will show you how to identify what whale you have spotted from their blow or other distinctive features - e.g. humpback whales have a distinctive round shape to their blow. Click on the image to the right to download the instructions from DOC. Hamupēke / Humpback Whale Gallery Images from some of our Humpback Whale events 2023 Humpback Whale Day