Picture: Family outing having a whale of a time

Picture / Dennis Buurman

A family of southern right whales frolicking close to shore at Kaikoura have been entertaining locals and tourists for the past week.

"You watch people walk out of the supermarket and just stand and stare," said Department of Conservation ranger Mike Morrissey.

A mother and calf have been playing close to shore for the past few days and have now been joined by another juvenile.

Mr Morrissey said it was not known whether all three were related but DNA samples taken from the cow and the young whale would provide more information.

The three had been swimming together for the past two days, often so close to shore they could be clearly seen in the breakers. "At one stage both of the young ones were lying on top of the cow and she was supporting them, it really was pretty amazing."

It was only the second time Mr Morrissey had see a cow and calf at Kaikoura in 15 years.

Southern right whales were so-named because they were the "right" whales for hunters, he said.

Whaling decimated numbers during the 1800s and it is not known how much the population has recovered.

Southern right whales are believed to breed in and around New Zealand, including the sub-Antarctic Islands, but it is not known whether they migrate north to warmer waters in summer as humpback whales do.