It is not streamlined. It is theatrical. Humpback whale, or Paikea, turns ocean surface into stage for spectacular physical displays. Famous for breaching. Feat of raw power where forty tonnes of whale launches itself entirely out of water. Crashing back down in spray of mist and white water visible for kilometres. Engage in lobtailing and pectoral slapping. Using exceptionally long, white-bottomed flippers. Can reach up to five metres in length. Strike surface with thunderous clap. Behaviours not merely for show. Vital forms of long-distance communication and social interaction within pod. Physically, humpback is study in rugged, oceanic texture. Dark, knobby heads covered in tubercles. Specialised hair follicles act as sensory organs. Massive throat grooves allow gulp enormous volumes of water and krill. In New Zealand, relationship with these whales underwent total transformation. During 19th and early 20th centuries, Cook Strait was primary hunting ground. Whaling station at Te Kopi site of industrial slaughter. Nearly silenced species in our waters. By time whaling ended in 1964, South Pacific population was mere shadow of former self. Today, Cook Strait Whale Survey relies on former whalers. Once used keen eyes to track whales for harpoon. Now count them for conservation. Recording heartening and steady increase in numbers. Most mysterious aspect is song. Male humpbacks produce complex, haunting vocalisations. Can last for twenty minutes. Repeated for hours. Songs are not static. Evolve over time. All males in specific population singing same hit song of season. Gradually changes as they migrate. Cultural exchange of music across vastness of ocean. Level of social complexity only beginning to decode. When passing through narrow funnel of Cook Strait, songs vibrate through deep-water canyons. Subterranean broadcast signalling changing of seasons. Protecting humpback whale in New Zealand means protecting migratory corridors. No longer hunted. Face modern challenges such as entanglement in buoy lines from pot fisheries. Pervasive threat of ocean noise drowning out delicate acoustic communications. Humpback is symbol of resilience. Species we broke and are now helping to heal. To see humpback breach off coast of Kaikōura or Marlborough Sounds is to see mauri of ocean in most exuberant form. Travelling ancestors of deep. Reclaiming ancient pathways through blue heart of New Zealand. No one told it otherwise.