New Zealand’s biggest blue whale is one of the highlights of the Canterbury Museum’s collection.
For many years visitors to Canterbury Museum could see the largest blue whale skeleton on display anywhere in the world.
The 26.5 metre long whale was stranded at Okarito, on the South Island’s West Coast, in 1908. After preparation, the skeleton was put on display in 1909, and remained on show until 2001.
The museum is now in the process of conserving the skeleton to get it ready to be put on display again when the museum’s redevelopment is complete.
You can read more about this huge project in this article from the Records of the Canterbury Museum.
For more on the history of Canterbury Museum’s big blue whale skeleton, and some great pictures check out Te Ara:
http://www.teara.govt.nz/EarthSeaAndSky/SeaLife/Whales/2/ENZ-Resources/Standard/4/en
