Australian whale expert Dr Vanessa Pirotta reacts to a possible sighting of the world’s most famous white humpback off the coast of NSW. Video / Herald NOW
Migaloo, the world-famous white whale, may be back in New Zealand waters following a possible sighting near Kaikōura.
The humpback is one of only four white whales ever recorded worldwide.
Footage has been shared on social media of an albino humpback whale surfacing south of Kaikōura on October10.
Georgia Phelps, the manager of nearby Mangamaunu Retreat, captured the photos and said she wasn’t aware that white whales existed.
“All of a sudden someone said, ‘That’s the white one’.
“And you just saw a glimpse the first time it came up to the surface, but we ended up watching for maybe an hour and a half.”
A white humpback whale, thought to be Migaloo, breaches near Kaikōura on October 10, 2025. Photo / Georgia Phelps
Phelps had been tipped off about their rare visitor by friends Abi and Megan, who had seen the white whale heading towards the well-known whale-watching town.
“We watched from a layby just around about Goose Bay, which is about 10 minutes south from Kaikōura,” Phelps said.
Migaloo translates as “white fella” in the Mayi-Katuna Aboriginal language from north Queensland, as he was first sighted in 1991 off the coast of Byron Bay. However, he has not been spotted around Australia since 2020.
He was first seen here in 2015 and is known to travel in New Zealand waters – with gaps in sighting history.
Whales are common around Kaikōura, but for Phelps, sighting a white whale was on another level.
“I’ve lived here on and off now for eight years, but it’s still pretty special when you see any of the animals. But, yeah, this was incredible. I didn’t even know white whales existed,” she said.
She said she’s not aware of any further sightings in the area – but has reported her experience with the official Migaloo sighting page.
White whale Migaloo off the Gold Coast in 2012. Photo / AAP
“I mean, we don’t know if it is Migaloo or a different one, but there’s definitely been some hype around it,” Phelps said.
Australian wildlife scientist Dr Vanessa Pirotta has shared the images, hoping to identify the whale.
“There are other white whales out there – two white humpback whale calves were observed in Tonga last year,” Pirotta’s Instagram post read.
“Kiwi whale watchers, if you see this whale, please keep your distance and snap photos/video and send them to the White Whale Research Centre.”
