Tree Planting in Rotoroa

Finally - I have found a bit of time to update the blog! On Saturday I decided to take the ferry to Rotoroa Island to take part in some tree planting. I have been there before (see previous posts) as a tourist, but this time I went as a volunteer. The island has been leased by the Salvation Army to a local philanthropist, who has decided to open it to the public and restore the island to its former glory. Part of this project involves planting native species in areas where they were previously uprooted to make way for buildings to house the island's inhabitants (it used to be a treatment facility for alcoholics). 

There were around 10 people that had volunteered to help with the planting, most of them from Auckland Zoo. When we arrived, the weather was pretty miserable, but it soon cleared up and turned into a gorgeous day. We began by collecting some gardening gloves and a spade and walking to the planting site. The site itself was a small pond situated close to the buildings. The plan was to increase the number of plants around the pond in an attempt to attract native wildlife back to the island.

I'm not sure how many shrubs we planted in total, but it was quite a few - the trays of plants seemed never-ending! We worked from roughly 10am until 3pm with an hour for lunch, so that should give you some idea. We planted flax, manuka, and several types of grasses, and got absolutely plastered in mud in the process. It was good fun though, and I would definitely do it again.

Once we had finished planting we were given a couple of hours to spend looking round the island. I had gone with my flatmate Blair (a volunteer at Auckland Zoo), and so we went for a walk up to the North Tower for a great view of the whole of Rotoroa. It was a pretty steep climb, but well worth it in the end. Blair even managed to get a picture of me with a rainbow emanating from my eyes!

We then took a walk down to Cable Bay (one of many lovely beaches on the island) and sat there until the ferry came to take us back to Auckland. All in all, a very enjoyable day, and I have managed to make a (hopefully) permanent mark on New Zealand!

Coastguard Air Patrol

A few weeks ago I had my first stint with the Coastguard Air Patrol. I was given the role of 'observer' which involved being the eyes of the aircraft, and also taking notes for the pilot. The plane itself is a Cessna..... 182 I think...... and can carry up to four passengers.

It was touch and go whether we would actually be able to fly as the weather was quite bad in the morning. Fortunately it cleared up and visibility became near perfect, as evidenced by the photographs. We took off from a small airfield called Ardmore and flew towards the city. On the way I snapped some great photographs of the islands in the Hauraki Gulf. The first shows the Wairoa River, the second is of Maraetai, and the third (my favourite) is Brown's Island in the foreground, and Rangitoto (volcanic) and Motutapu in the background.

Very soon we reached the city centre itself where I took some really nice pictures of Okahu Bay (picture 1), the docks and Marine Rescue Centre aka Coastguard headquarters (picture 2), the Sky Tower and Queen's Wharf (pictures 3 and 4), and Westhaven Marina - where all the rich people park their boats (picture 5).

After our brief view of the city centre we flew north over the Harbour Bridge and towards the North Shore of Auckland. The first picture is of the bridge itself and the second is of North Head, with the monument at the top.

We then started our journey back to the airfield and flew via the skies over Waiheke Island. 

Once safely back on the ground, we refuelled, and put the plane in the hangar. I had a great day and took some fantastic photographs. Can't wait to have another go as soon as possible!

Cook Islands II

I thought I'd start with some snorkelling stories.... I say stories, they're mainly pictures. I don't believe my words would do it all justice, in fact I'm not sure that my camera did either. The water was crystal clear and the colours of the fish were amazing. The fish so inquisitive that I could practically reach out and touch them, and they regularly brushed my legs and arms while swimming. I also saw a couple of coral snakes, which swam away from very quickly! Apparently they are more afraid of you than you are of them, but I didn't like to test the theory. Below are a few images of the many fish I saw, I'm not sure what they are all called, but I do know two types of  trigger fish (first and second image - I saw loads of these), zebra fish (third image), butterfly fish (fourth image), and the moray eel (fifth image). The others I don't know the names of, but thought I'd post some pictures of them anyway.

I also got some good photographs of some interesting types of coral, and a really cool starfish. 

As well as the amazing snorkelling, the sunsets were also fantastic. I got some brilliant photos, with both Yogi and some of the locals included. I think they are probably my favourite pictures of my time in Rarotonga.

That's about all for now, had quite a busy weekend so having an early night. Will update you on my antics from this weekend on the next post. Until then......