By combining the thrill of seeing animals in the wild with ecological sensitivity and education, "ecotours" provide opportunities to appreciate the natural beauty of the environment while safeguarding its continued success.

With over 15,000km of coastline and numerous small islands, New Zealand offers some of the world's best viewing of marine mammals, and coastal and pelagic (off-shore) birds. The increased demand in "ecotourism" has ënaturallyí followed a widespread interest in conservation and cultural issues.

Many experienced vessels operators now offer guided "ecotours" to enable people to experience New Zealandís extraordinary marine wildlife. Whale watching off Kaikoura Peninsula in the South Island is perhaps the best-known example of observing marine animals in their native state, but almost half the worldís cetaceans (whales, porpoises and dolphins) have been reported in New Zealand waters.

Sperm whales are currently the most commonly observed whales in New Zealand waters, but other species are sighted regularly. Where once they were common, Southern right whales are now returning to the Cook Straits area while minke, Brydeís (pronounced Broodahís) and humpback whales are frequent visitors to the Hauraki Gulf.

Orca can also be seen in pods of between four and eight but their smaller cousins the dolphins are the most commonly encountered marine mammals. In the upper North Island, the Common Dolphin is most prevalent with the Dusky Dolphin becoming more widespread in more southern waters.

The worldís rarest marine dolphin, the New Zealand or Hectorís Dolphin is also the smallest. These can be seen in many parts of the South Island and, on rare occasions, the North Island's West Coast. While they will often allow boats to approach close by, they are less comfortable with people swimming alongside them.

New Zealand is also a natural treasury of amazing birdlife and offers some of the worldís best viewing of coastal and pelagic (off-shore) birds. These include penguins, albatrosses, mollymawks, petrels, prions, shearwaters and skuas, with the advantage that many of these can be observed without even getting your feet wet!

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