Whales / Tohora The Whales and Dolphins of New Zealand

Richly illustrated, entertaining and highly educational, Whales / Tohora brings the fascinating underwater world of cetaceans to life with a special focus on the whales and dolphins of the South Pacific. For centuries whales have captured our imaginations and ignited our emotions. We have revered and mythologised them, hunted them to the brink of extinction and passionately protected them. But how much do we really know about whales? Based on the hugely popular, internationally touring Te Papa exhibition ‘Whales | Tohora’ (a.k.a. ‘Whales: Giants of the Deep’), this all-new book brings these majestic marine mammals and their underwater world to life, with a special focus on the whales and dolphins of the South Pacific. From the first richly illustrated, entertaining chapter, readers are immersed in the salty sea – the home of the whales to explore their amazing diversity, biology and adaption to life in the oceans. Throughout the book, hundreds of breath-taking photographs, historical pictures, astonishing facts and figures and informative illustrations and diagrams bring the whale world to life. Here, too, are stories from people whose lives have been inextricably linked with whales – from legendary South Pacific whale riders to international whale scientists to conservationists to former whalers and their families. A powerful combination of storytelling, science and culture reveals the relationship between whales and humans, now and into the future.