In June this year, five teachers including myself had the opportunity to attend a BLAKE Expedition to Te Rua-o-te-moko/Fiordland aboard the beautiful yacht Breaksea Girl. We spent five days working alongside University of Otago Geophysicist Andrew Gorman and his team as they conducted surveys of the seafloor in the fiords. This involved exploring the far reaches of Te Puaitaha/Breaksea Sound including Vancouver and Broughton Arms, and Patea/Doubtful Sound including the breathtaking Hall Arm.
Fiords act as powerful carbon sinks. According to Chris Moy, the project lead, “the equivalent of 10 to 20 percent of New Zealand’s carbon emissions are being sucked down by Fiordland’s fiords and forests every year.” To understand these processes better, a detailed underwater survey of the Fiordland seafloor is being conducted over 5 years. Our BLAKE Expedition accompanied the scientists as they undertook this survey. Crammed full of electronic equipment, microphone coils, sensors and computers for gathering, sorting and analysing the seafloor data, we were packed and ready to go!
Fiordland is nothing short of breathtaking. Seeing it from the air by helicopter, from the water and from the land on several bushwalks was an unforgettable experience. It has an incredibly rich natural and human history which was relayed to us in detail by the amazing crew of Breaksea Girl as we sailed around. A particular highlight for me was seeing Resolution and Breaksea Islands, which have played a pivotal historic role in the development of island restoration and predator control across Aotearoa.
Fiordland is a place of wild variation. We had an exciting and challenging ‘transit’ between Sounds, with the Southern Ocean showing us some of its fury as the Breaksea Girl crew skilfully navigated 4 metre swells. This was in stark contrast with Hall Arm where we kayaked on absolutely mirror-smooth water for a whole morning. Snow capped peaks reflected the early morning sun one day, while heavy rain accompanied our bush walks another. The variations in weather and scenery, and the absolute remoteness makes Fiordland a very special place to visit.
On return to Ōtautahi, I have been inspired to share some activities and learning pathways around the carbon cycle and climate change with my kura and other colleagues. My passion for environmental education has sharpened and become the centre focus for my professional development. I have been lucky enough to receive a wealth of opportunity in this regard.
This expedition has opened my eyes to the huge potential we have to develop and grow science and environmental education here in Aotearoa. Most importantly, it has introduced me to some incredibly inspiring people, and created lasting connections. Our science and environmental education community in New Zealand is incredibly hardworking and passionate. We need to continue to connect, learn from and inspire each other. There is great potential to grow and strengthen this community. With a little manaakitanga, I have huge hope for the future.
– Written by Pete Hay
