&color2We know more about what exists in Earth’s atmosphere and oceans than we do about what lives in the canopy of some of our largest tree species—in particular the epiphyte “gardens” that form between the boughs at the top of mature rata and kauri trees.
An entire biota of unique species lives in this unstudied world, species which may already be in danger under the stress of possums, kauri disease and predation.
The New Zealand Geographic Trust has initiated a groundbreaking new study with Forest & Bird/ARC's Ark in the Park programme and the University of Auckland. The tree-scaling training is in full-swing with mid-air rescues being simulated in the Waitakeres May 28th 2010.
www.radiolive.co.nz host Graeme Hill interviewed in the forest with New Zealand Geographic Editor James Frankham, and students Sarah Wyse and Jenny Waite, with the lowdown on their projects in pollination and epiphyte composition due to commence shortly.
See a video interview below by Mandy Herrick of Forest & Bird, from the Forest & Bird Weblog http://blog.forestandbird.org.nz/
Expeditions Update
11 February 2010
This March 20–26, Island Passage will host a technical dive team who plan to locate and dive the wreck of the Wimmera, which hasn't be seen by human eyes in nearly a century. We have a fix on the location, and invite passengers to join this utterly unique experience, to be front and centre of history in the making.
Located in more than 80 metres of water this will be a significant achievement requiring state of the art technology, mixed gas and rebreather technical diving apparatus, world class divers, and meticulous historical research. Join us on this historic voyage, as we recreate the passage of the Wimmera northwards, understand the history, investigate the rarified world of technical diving and share in the thrill of the hunt.
Shaun Quincey has posted a YouTube video of the building of Tasman Trespasser 2 from start to finish.
Quincey's boat
3 November 2009
Recovering from a successful attempt to break the world record for 500 km (he smashed it by 20 hours) and a less successful attempt on the million-metre record (he had to pull out just short of the 1000 km due to a muscle strain), Quincey put his hand to finishing the construction of his boat. A kitset from the tried-and-tested Atlantic rowing tradition, the Woodvale Ocean Rowing boat is 7.3 metres long, and—largely because fresh water is made by reverse-osmosis rather than carried in tanks—weighs just 250 kg unloaded.
After a testing regime in and around the Hauraki Gulf, Quincey will head to Australia with the boat to await a window of westerly weather in Sydney—a strong following breeze will help him break free from the East Australia current running down the coast.
We’ll be following his progress closely, but readers are also directed to www.tasmantrespasser.com for live updates. We would like to wish him fair winds and calm seas, though the Tasman is notorious for dashing such optimism. Instead, kia kaha.
Geographic Expeditions
22 October 2009
New Zealand Geographic is launching a series of reader expeditions aboard Island Passage, a 42-metre vessel that is both capable and comfortable. New Zealand Geographic-branded reader expeditions will take in sites of geographic interest, from New Zealand’s hard-to-access conservation estates to the smoking citadels of coastal volcanism. Each five-day trip is restricted to just 20 people, and will be hosted by a scientist, historian, photographer or explorer to bring each region to life. The first reader expedition is a tour of the Hauraki Gulf islands including Great Barrier, Kawau and Tiritiri from January 31 to February 5th 2010.
