The Te Awaiti whaling station : An essay on whaling in and around Cook Strait, New Zealand

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to describe the whaling station at Te Awaiti, near Cook Strait, New Zealand, the adjacent land area on which it is based, and the nature of the local whaling operations. This whaling station is of unique interest inasmuch as it represents a relic of what was once a major industry in the earliest settlement of New Zealand. It is located in the Marlborough Sounds region of the South Island, a region that itself has a unique character. The people engaged in whaling follow this occupation actively for only four months of the year. For the remainder of the year they are engaged in farming the adjacent land. Therefore, the station and its operation will be described in conjunction with the adjoining land area which is occupied for farming. The total area in which the Whalers have a direct interest is limited at sea by the range of the whale boats and on land by the acreage which they are able to farm economically during the part of the year they are not at sea.