The New Zealand sea lion is endemic to New Zealand, and travellers on subantarctic voyages have a real chance of walking past one hauled out on a beach in the Auckland Islands or Campbell Island, which remain its primary breeding grounds. With a total population of around 12,000, it is one of the rarest sea lion species on the planet, and the only living member of its genus, Phocarctos.
Māori names for the animal reflect how long it has been part of the region's story: pakake for either sex, whakahao for males, and kake for females. In recent years small numbers have begun recolonising the coasts of New Zealand's South and Stewart Islands, but the Auckland and Campbell Islands are still where expedition passengers are most likely to see them in numbers, often lying up on tussock-backed beaches within sight of the landing zodiacs.
