Sir Peter Blake (1948-2001)
Where can I find information about Sir Peter Blake?
(Years 7-10)
Image: Peter Blake, skipper of Lion New Zealand by [unknown]. Collection: Alexander Turnbull Library.
Entry last updated: 10/07/25
Introduction
Sir Peter Blake was a famous New Zealand yachtsman. He had many sailing victories to his credit including the Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race in 1989–90 and the America’s Cup in 1995 and again in 2000. He was also very interested in the environment and conservation.
General websites
These websites will help you find information about Sir Peter Blake's life, his interests, and his achievements.
Dictionary of New Zealand Biography
DNZB is part of Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. It contains over 3,000 biographies of New Zealanders who have ‘made their mark’ on this country. It does not include people who are alive.
Look under the alphabet B or type the keyword 'Peter Blake' into the search box to find the biography of Blake, Peter James.
The story covers the life of Sir Peter Blake and articles on his Sailing for New Zealand and The America's Cup.
Tips: Search words, or keywords, are the most important words in our question. Usually it’s better to leave out small words like ‘the’, ‘a’ and ‘of’ and just choose the main ones, eg Peter Blake. We can always change our keywords or add more if we need to.
NZ History is another great website for information about the history, people, and places of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Enter 'Peter Blake' into the search box.
Scroll down to the article called 1995 New Zealand wins the America’s Cup.
Both Te Ara and NZ History belong to the Ministry of Culture and Heritage, so information is well-researched and reliable. You can tell they are both government websites because they have .govt in their address – or by looking at their About us or Contact pages.
This is one of the EPIC resources, a set of reliable databases covering lots of different topics. It has been put together especially for New Zealand schools. This database contains biographies of lots of famous people, including some New Zealanders.
Enter 'Peter Blake' into the search box.
Select Blake, Peter James from the list.
Here you will find biographies, articles, and news about Sir Peter Blake and how he died.
Tips: To get to the EPIC resources you will need a password from your school librarian first. Or you can chat with one of our AnyQuestions librarians between 1 and 6pm Monday to Friday and they will help you online. Some EPIC databases may also be available through your public library.
Articles & Videos
The websites below have lots of articles and videos that record memories and events in the life of Sir Peter Blake.
DigitalNZ is a search site that focuses on New Zealand's history and brings together results from lots of New Zealand libraries, museums, universities, and government sites all at once, and has lots of primary sources.
Type the search words 'Peter Blake' into the search box.
You will find the results grouped into images, videos, newspapers, articles, and more.
Find the audio about the Peter Blake Memorial, the image of Sir Peter Blake Hanging up red socks, or the video Sir Peter Blake - The Boy From Bayswater.
Tips: Websites that have .org or .net in the address can have good information, but you need to assess how reliable it is. Check the About us link on the website, if you can find one. That can tell you what the organisation’s mission and values are.
Established in 2004, the Sir Peter Blake Trust (BLAKE) is committed to environmental issues such as climate change, deforestation, and impacts of sailing.
Read about the trust by selecting About us in the header menu.
Scroll down this page and watch the video called Onboard Seamaster with Sir Peter Blake.
You will also find The life and times of Sir Peter Blake which spans his early years, his sailing and navigation history, to his passion for protecting the environment.
NZEDGE.COM is a collection of news articles, images, and videos about New Zealand and New Zealanders that appear in global news media.
Enter 'Peter Blake' into the search box.
From the page of results, you will find articles like Pirate Involved in Peter Blake’s Death Recaptured and Remembering Sir Peter Blake 16 Years On.
Tips: Websites that have .com or .co in the address can have good information, but you need to assess how reliable it is. Check the About us link on the website, if you can find one. That can tell you what the company’s mission and values are.
Books
Your school or public library are the best places to look for books about Sir Peter Blake. Here are some titles to get you started:
The last great adventure of Sir Peter Blake: with Seamaster and blakexpeditions from Antarctica to the Amazon by Peter Blake, Alan Sefton.
Sir Peter Blake: an amazing life: the authorised biography by Alan Sefton.
The story of Sir Peter Blake by Tessa Duder.
Hero of the sea: Sir Peter Blake's mighty ocean quests by David Hill.
Sir Peter Blake: sailor extraordinaire by Allan R Kirk.
SCIS no: 1987113
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