Why Paikea?

Paikea means something slightly different to each of us.

Tee grew up with the story of Paikea. Hannah came to it later, through Whale Rider. Beyond the whale itself, what stayed with her was a girl trying to find her place in a role traditionally held by men, and the disappointment and resistance she has to navigate along the way.

That part of the story resonated with both of us.

Maybe this is the real job.

We’ve built our lives around boats, oceans and expedition work, in an industry that can still feel very male-dominated. Along the way, we’ve met incredible women doing extraordinary things: skippers, guides, photographers, scientists, expedition leaders, and people quietly building unconventional lives around the ocean.

They’ve made us realise there isn’t necessarily a point where we have to stop doing this and go and get a “real job”.

Maybe this is the real job.

Paikea felt like a name that held a lot of those ideas at once: whales, the ocean, women finding their place, and the possibility of building a life a little differently.

The animal is never the whole story.

There are people, histories and places behind every experience we get to have on the water. We want Paikea to respect that, not let the excitement of an encounter make everything around it disappear.

That’s what we want to carry into the trips we share: a love of the ocean, room to find your own way, and attention to the people and places that make it all possible.