Field Trip All At Sea

Forest and Bird, Issue 308, 1 May 2003, Page 41

Field Trip All At Sea

—BILL FAIRWEATHER

embers of Waikato Forest and | \ / Bird took to the water to familiarise themselves with the Society’s marine concerns. They chose to make a ‘let’s get right into it’ field trip to their nearest marine reserve, Whanganui A Hei (Cathedral Cove) at Hahei on the Coromandel. Although the area of the reserve is quite small it was bitterly opposed by local recreational anglers when established in 1992. Since then, many have come to realise that fishing around the borders of the reserve has improved markedly. John Charteris, a long-time member of Forest and Bird, and his partner Elva organised the boat, programme and resources for what proved to be a most interesting and different experience. ‘John was keen that we not only saw the reserve from above water but that we got into the water and "snorkelled" to really appreciate the beauty of the environment. The conditions were beautiful and 15 of the group donned wetsuits, masks, flippers and snorkels to explore a sheltered cove. We all came back aboard the Seaquest III inspired by what we had seen. ‘Unfortunately the wind got up in the afternoon so a second dive around Slipper Island was cancelled. We went back into Tairua Harbour where John collected plankton samples that we viewed through magnifiers. We all found this start of the food chain quite fascinating’