Our Big Blue Backyard

Kermadecs: The Kermadec Islands are in New Zealand's northern-most waters, and during spring a plankton bloom triggers a carnival of life, from tiny coral polyps to the largest humpback whales.

White Island: Around White Island, common dolphins, Australasian gannets, and local reef residents adapt to survive the scorching, toxic conditions on New Zealand's most active volcano

Chathams: New Zealand's remote Chatham Islands attract roaming predators from all over the South Pacific but the resident blue cod and brown skuas might just be the most ferocious of all.

Fiordland: In the wettest corner of New Zealand, where alien ocean creatures flourish under a freshwater layer, crested penguins struggle to raise their chicks in the midst of a harsh Fiordland winter.

Auckland Islands: Every summer, massive congregations of New Zealand sea lions and giant spider crabs descend upon the sub-Antarctic Auckland Islands to carry out their violent breeding rituals.

Banks Peninsula: In Banks Peninsula's bays, tiny penguins, Hector's dolphins, and wetland birds experience a dramatic spring and summer as the epic migration of an ancient longfin eel concludes.