Marlborough Sounds Whale Project
Guardians of the Sounds are developing a proposal for the community to help tell our Incredible Whale Story and embrace the world Ocean Conservation message.
A 15 metre long Full size exact replica of a humpback whale near the entrance to Tory Channel is being proposed by the Guardians of the Sounds group, in what could be part of a World Cetacean Alliance project creating the first whale heritage site in New Zealand.
The aim is to build Harry the Humpback at the back of the Public Library with full community involvement starting 1st April and launching 1st August 2018 . Building a Whale on State Highway 1.
The model would be a life-size replica of a humpback whale, named Harry. It will be ‘awesome’ to have Harry welcoming the at least 2 million people a year who arrive in the South Island by ferry.
There is more than 100 years of whaling history in the Sounds, with the only restored whaling station in Tory Channel, and the largest marine mammal sanctuary in New Zealand is off Cloudy Bay.
The Guardians of the Sounds has been approached by Jean-Michel Cousteau’s World Cetacean Alliance, the world’s largest marine conservation partnership and the global voice for whales, dolphins and porpoises, to set up a whale heritage site in Tory Channel. Harry is stage 1 on that development which is to be 5 years in the process putting Marlborough Sounds on the International Cetacean Map.
Development of the historical story and Perano Whale Station site is a Proposal being developed by Guardians of the Sounds . Parties involved at this stage include Picton Heritage and Whaling Museum , Marlborough District Council, Te Papa Museum , Destination Marlborough, Kiwi Rail ,Department of Conservation, Kiwi Rail , Tourism New Zealand ,Cuddeons Engineering, ITM Picton, Altex Coatings, Human Dynamo of Wellington, the ex-whalers and the local community.
More updates will be posted as the Proposal Develops.
