KEY POINTS:
Greenpeace sailed out of Auckland this morning to take on the Japanese whaling ships in the seas surrounding Antarctica.
The Esperanza refuelled and took on provisions before it left Auckland to track the whaling fleets.
Greenpeace whales campaign coordinator Sara Holden said it would take about a week for the Esperanza to reach the Antarctic but there was no guarantee they would be able to find the whaling fleet.
The Esperanza is without her search helicopter, which is being repaired.
"We couldn't stay long enough for it to be repaired. It makes a hard job harder but we're not going to find the whaling fleet sitting in port," Ms Holden said.
And Greenpeace know the whalers' patterns of hunting, she said.
The search will take place in the seas between the south of New Zealand and the south of South Africa.
"It's about a million square miles. It's not an easy task but we've got experienced people on board. We'll use that experience and a dollop of luck," Ms Holden said.
The 38 activists on board are from 22 different countries and include two New Zealanders.
According to Greenpeace, the whaling fleets are aiming to hunt over 1000 whales.
Greenpeace activists will be trying to stop the hunt by putting themselves in front of the whalers' grenade-tipped harpoons to stop them firing at the whales.
- NZHERALD STAFF
