Manihi Road Reef

One of the jobs of the Taranaki Regional Council (TRC) is monitoring the ecological effects of agriculture and industry around the region. Where for example, Fonterra discharges waste near a shoreline, the nearby reefs are monitored for their health. At Manihi Road south of Cape Egmont, there is an extensive reef system that is not affected by industry. TRC looks at this reef, and compares any changes with areas where there are industry effects. I joined Kate, Erin and Scott as they checked it out. In the photo you can see Erin with a half metre square. She identifies all the plants and animals in this square, and they are recorded and compared over time. I was amazed at just how many species are to be found. A bare rock when turned over may have more than a dozen species living underneath. We are lucky to have people like these checking up on the health of our environment.

Mud glorious mud!

Today I headed down to Waitotara, about 90 minutes south of New Plymouth. I was there to help Kate and Erin from Taranaki Regional Council with their estuary monitoring programme. One thing you can rely on at a Taranaki estuary is MUD! We took 12 core samples of mud from a particular area, and we put them through a sieve which got rid of the mud and sand and left us with the animals that lived there. The animals help them to keep track of the health of the estuary. We found lots of mud crabs, snails, and tiny bivalves similar to pipis. Often there are seaworms too. Sometimes you have to look hard to find what lies beneath, and there was far more in the mud than I expected. Next time you go to Mokau or Urenui, think about all that life that lives beneath the surface.

GREAT Barrier!

The next day dawned fine but windy, but we managed to find some great country on the north-east of Great Barrier, out of the wind and swell.

Kendall's co-collaborators on this project are Lindasy, an Associate Professor at AUT, and Lily, a Canadian woman who is taking part in this project as part of her PhD studies. They were largely responsible for the processing of the gut samples - not an enviable job! The various samples are kept very cold in a container of liquid nitrogen, which is at minus 196 degrees celsius! This keeps the samples from deteriorating.

The diving and spearfishing was much better today, with visibility up to 15 metres, and the water was a nice 20 degrees. There were schools of fish everywhere - blue maomao, silver drummer, kahawai, kingfish, snapper and more. The rocks are mostly covered in seaweed, with patches of brightly coloured sponges and anemones - and they call this work! We had a huge day, processing 22 fish, as well as finding the time to spear a decent snapper - which was dinner. I felt hugely privileged to share the time and experienced with these three passionate scientists - even if I struggled to understand them at times!

Mokohinau Islands on Hawere

Today we headed to the Mokohinau Islands, to the north-east of Auckland. They are reasonably remote, and outside of holidays, you see few boats here. I joined Kendall Clements, an Associate Professor at the University of Auckland, on the Hawere, the research vessel operated by the University of Auckland.

Our mission was to sample a number of herbivorous (plant eating) fish, and in particular look at the way the digest and use their food. The fish have to processed within minutes of capture, and the only way to do this (as they don't take a baited hook), was by spearfishing - which is where I came in! There were 4 species we were sampling - silver drummer, two species of marblefish, and butterfish. My job was to find them and spear them without damaging their guts or their head. The fish were measured, weighed, had blood, liver and tissue samples taken, and had their otoliths removed. The otoliths are tiny ear bones in their skulls (yes, fish do have ears of a sort!), and are used to determine the age of the fish, with growth rings similar to trees. The last part was to carefully take out the stomach and intestines, and take samples from various parts of the digestive system.

We had a great day, although the fish didn't always cooperate! After processing the six fish we got, we headed in to a sheltered anchorage at Port Fitzroy, at Great Barrier Island. Kahawai sashimi and baked snapper for dinner!

Dunedin - Four Seasons in One Day

Dunedin is a fabulous place. I have just come back from a week down there, with 18 other Royal Society Fellows. We had a full on five days exploring and developing leaderships skills - but, you don't want to hear about that!

We also had a great tour of the city in a beautiful 1960 Mk9 Jaguar. Four of us managed to run up Baldwin Street - the steepest street in the world - actually more of a run/walk/jog! We also had a great look around the Otago Museum, including a great hour in the magnificent butterfly house, full of a huge number of different butterflies in different stages of development.

Next week I am heading to Great Barrier Island on a fish collecting trip with Professor Kendall Clement from the University of Auckland. We will be collecting butterfish, marblefish and drummer by... Spearfishing! (I think I might be able to pick that up!)

RATS!!!

The Sugarloaf Islands off New Plymouth are unique. The west coast of New Zealand is lacking in offshore islands. To the south of New Plymouth, Kapiti Island near Wellington is the closest island, and to the north the nearest island is the small Gannet Rock off Raglan.

One of DOC's jobs is to monitor the state of these offshore islands. They are home to many interesting plants, such as Cook's Scurvy Grass, and also to many seabirds. The islands further offshore showed a healthy environment, but one of the inshore islands showed unmistakeable signs of RATS! There were a number of dead birds, berries that showed signs of being eaten, and also rat poo! The next job will be to set up traps and poison stations for the invaders, and hopefully they can be eradicated completely.

THE FIRST MONTH

Well, the last month has been a whirlwind! In not particular order:

I had a great day with a class from Berhampore school in Wellington. We travelled out to Kapiti Island as part of the Experiencing Marine Reserves programme. When we first got there, it was too rough to snorkel, but we got to walk over the island, seeing many kinds of native birds - kaka, kereru, weka, whiteheads, robins, tui and more - such a treat.

In the afternoon it was a joy to take the kids snorkelling. To listen to them trying to talk through the snorkels was a hoot! Eagle rays glided beneath us, paua were glued to the rocks. We looked at the feet of the kina, waving amongst their sharp spines. What was familiar to me was new for them - it was a great day!

I spent half a day at Red Rocks in Wellington with Rachel Clausing, a Fullbright scholar from California. She has a neat project looking at introducing nutrients to the intertidal area, and looking at the effects on growth and abundance of seaweeds and shellfish, such as limpets. She is doing a parallel project in the Channel Islands off California. On this day she was lucky enough to have the assistance of other VUW students in setting up and surveying the stations.

On Mount Taranaki, with DOC heroes Dean and Lyn, we walked up the Manganui Stream and located a female Blue Duck or Whio, that was wearing a transmitter. We caught it (carefully) in a net, removed the transmitter, weighed it, inserted a microchip ID and released it. What a beautiful little bird! It was pleased to be set free, and was happy to be without the transmitter too

As part of a symposium with other Fellows, we got to visit the Marine Education Centre in Island Bay in Wellington. Victor and Judy presented a programme to students from Scots College. Their enthusiasm was infectious, and after a talk against a great backdrop, they scuttled over the rocks, looking at the critters and plants in the rockpools.

One of my projects is to develop a monitoring programme at the Tapuae Marine Reserve south west of New Plymouth. We are hoping to compare the size and number of paua inside the reserve, with those outside the reserve. Finding a survey technique that works is a challenge!

One of DOC's jobs is to respond to calls from the public about environmental concerns. In this case, a fur seal was on the beach at Ahu ahu Road beach, and there was concern about its health. Callum had a good look at it, and was satisfied that it was happy and healthy enough, and we left it in peace! I have felt spoilt, excited and motivated by the opportunities I have had, and I have been asking LOTS of questions!

What will I be doing at DOC?

My Fellowship is an opportunity for me to "be a scientist" for 6 months! The purpose of the Fellowship is to become a science leader in my school, and to get students and teachers engaged and excited by learning in science. Already, I can't wait to get back to my Year 5 and 6 students and get stuck in to science!

I LOVE being in and around the sea, exploring and having fun. My area of interest is marine science, but I am taking any opportunities offered! My host at DOC is a young marine scientist by the name of Callum Lilley. Much of his work is around monitoring the coastline around Taranaki, including Marine Protected Areas and Tapuae and Paraninihi Marine Reserves.

I will also be working with scientists from Taranaki Regional Council, Victoria University of Wellington, and the University of Auckland.