Waiheke rangatahi jumping on the Auckland Sea Shuttles Boat after a fun day of snorkelling around the inner Tikapa Moana, Hauraki Gulf.
Back in April the Auckland EMR team in partnership with Waiheke Marine Project and Ngāti Paoa Ki Waiheke took some excited Waiheke based rangatahi out into Tīkapa Moana, Hauraki Gulf, thanks to funding from the Waiheke Local Board and Tū Manawa Active Aotearoa. With help from Auckland Sea Shuttles we had a beautiful day to head out on the boat to discover what lies beneath the water around Otata Island (Noises) and the Ahaaha Rocks.
We started the day by landing on Otata Island, a predator free island and wild life sanctuary looked after by the Noises Trust and the Neureuter Whānau. After our all important safety briefing we were quick to hop in the water and start exploring around the North Western side of the island. Like most islands in the inner gulf the rocky reef habitat is heavily impacted by overfishing, causing an imbalance in the food chain, turning the reef into kina barren. However there was still some interesting wildlife to witness under the water, including whai repo/eagle rays, nanua/red moki, parore, sea hares and more.
Whilst the Waiheke rangatahi were exploring the reef around Otata EMR coordinators Sophie and Becky were able to talk about some of the great PHD research carried out around Otata by the University of Auckland and Dr Kelsey Miller. This research is looking at the impacts of kina removal on kelp regrowth, which could be used as a tool to help speed up rocky reef recovery alongside marine protection and the recovery of natural predator populations like tāmure/snapper and kōura/crayfish.
After a quick lunch break on the island we were then picked up by Auckland Sea Shuttles and off to explore our second snorkel site around the Ahaaha Rocks. This time the rangatahi were able to snorkel directly off the boat, witnessing again the impacts of kina barrens on the rocky reef community, as well as spotting some pest species like Mediterranean fan worm. Rangatahi were also able to practice and gain extra tips and tricks to duck dive down under the water to see and explore more the reef.
As an extra bonus after our second snorkel rangatahi got to perfect their manus off the boat, a great way to finish up our day of exploring Tīkapa Moana/Hauraki Gulf.
A big thank you to our event partners Waiheke Marine Project, Ngāti Paoa Ki Waiheke, Auckland Sea Shuttles, Noises Trust, as well as out event funders the Waiheke Local Board and Tū Manawa Active Aotearoa.
If you would like to keep up to date with our adventure snorkel events and opportunities for rangatahi, make sure to follow our event page linked below.
If you would like to support our organisation and help us reach more people with our marine and freshwater engagement initiates, you can donate or sign up as a volunteer below.
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