We spent another beautiful day in Whangarei Heads, headed to Smugglers Bay. Carrying all the snorkeling and beach stuff was quite exhausting in the summer heat. But we were rewarded with good snorkeling and swimming and even a small pod of dolphins paid a visit in the afternoon!
Two generations of Australasian snapper Pagrus auratus in shallow water kelp forest. The young specimen with the usual body shape and the old one with the typical tall forehead. This view is not that common outside marine reserves any more.
Sometimes the most mundane places bring unexpected surprises. I’ve seen the wondering anemone only three times in my life. Always in Browns Bay in Auckland. It is a typical Auckland city beach with water clarity between zero and perhaps five meters, sandy bottom with some flat rocks covered with coastal brown algae. Real surprises can […]
The narrow mouth of Whangarei Harbour is a place of strong currents which bring a lot of nutrients for filter feeders. While the nearby marine reserve offers interesting snorkeling, scuba equipment is necessary to truly enjoy the riches of the reserve. Fields of hydroids, sea anemones and large colourful sponges await the visitor in depths […]
Sometimes almost a miracle happens. Mahurangi Harbour near Auckland is surrounded by farmland and new housing developments on mostly clay soil. That means the fine sediments are being washed into the harbour. The water is murky, the bottom becomes muddy, all the life forms suffocate. But sometimes a miracle happens. The water gets surprisingly clear […]
In Christianity without inner transformation: * Ethics leads to legalism * Theology leads to dry orthodoxy, schisms and heresies * Charity leads to activism But Christianity is none of them.