Arapawa Island spotters' hut

A sign points the way to the hut high atop the hill on Arapawa Island in the Marlborough Sounds, where the Cook Strait whale survey is based.

The whale-spotting hut. It might like rudimentary, but it's far better than the breezy scout tents used when the survey first began.

There's a jovial atmosphere in the hut, where the banter is merry, the wits are sharp and cups of tea last all day long.

Johnny Norton keeps a sharp eye on the ocean. To keep his focus, sometimes Norton plays the radio through his headphones - the day Stuff visited he was blasting out Michael Jackson.

Tommy Norton has worn a similar version of the same hat since the survey began. The hut is warm, but the front window has no glass to allow better spotting, so a brisk winter wind can still chill the spotters' extremeties.

A caricature of the Norton brothers drawn by one of the hut's many visitors during a quieter moment.

Supplies are essential as the weeks drags on. Sometimes, the men can go days without sighting a humpback.

Pictures brighten the hut.

Binoculars are the spotters' most important tool.

The spotters sit backwards on specially-designed chairs to stay comfortable while they peer through their binoculars.

Cook Strait is reflected in Ted Perano's "glasses".