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Northland phase 1 week 1 – the Far North!

By Maïlys Picard, PhD candidate (University of Waikato & Cawthron Institute)

Yet another field trip that feels like it’s too good to be true! I’m a PhD student, coming from the other side of the planet (France). And every time we go sampling, my eyes feel like they’re going to pop out of their socket due to the amazing places we’re going to. This time was no different, as we were based in Te Paki for this first phase, first week, of the Northland field trips.

Exploration of the giant Te Paki Sand Dunes on the first evening
Exploration of the giant Te Paki sand dunes on the first evening !

You would think I would be used to it by now, since this one was already my third Lakes380 field trip ( lucky me!!!), but nonononono. We were based just 5 minutes away from the giant Te Paki Sand Dunes, the weather was beautiful for the entire week, and the team was composed of amazing people that I’m missing already. And the lakes….! Well, see for yourself!

We started with a knowledge sharing day with the local iwi  Ngāti Kurī. We were based at Lake Ngakeketo for the day – just beside the sand dunes. These kind of days are always really interesting as we get to connect with the people that live around, who have connections and stories about the region. It really gives a new perspective to our work, knowing why someone cares about a specific lake other than for scientifical reasons! Our part comes after a preliminary sampling, showing how the history of the lake looks like at first glance by slicing a small core open. This time around we were pretty lucky to find some >100-years old kākahi (freshwater mussels) shells). I’m looking forward to what our suite of analyses will tell us about this lake… and all the others!

Knowledge sharing day at Lake Ngakeketo
Knowledge sharing day at Lake Ngakeketo with Ngāti Kurī. The kākahi shells (bottom middle and right) were found as the core (left) was sliced open

Then we got into the usual routine of 2-lakes-a-day. Since we started the field trips nearly a year ago, we’ve gotten really used to it, like a well-oiled machine! Access to the lakes was easy overall, though coring was sometimes difficult when the sand dunes were blown in the lakes: sand is quite hard underwater and doesn’t adhere to the tube if it’s the bottom layer…

The second sampling day led us to ake Wai Raupo in the morning, where we were joined by Penny, Scott, and Rick from the Northland Regional Council (NRC). This one was a real beauty, fringed by native bush and Manuka / Kanuka shrubs, part of the Te Paki Sand Dunes going straight in the lake, birds flying all around in the morning light… Stunning!! Lake Te Ketekete was swiftly sampled in the afternoon, a shallow lake full of the invasive weed Hornwort. The third sampling day was a bit special, we were joined by Lisa Forestier from NRC for the day and went over to Spirits Bay to sample a water body (Waitahora) that was more brackish than freshwater, so we’ll see what our analyses can tell us! Another stunning place that looks too good to be true – Pā site by the DoC campground, ocre volcanic hills revealed through the native bush on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other side… The afternoon was a bit of a miss, first time ever on a Lakes380 field trip that we did not go onto a lake! We got there pretty late after going through some interesting, wild forestry roads, and could only get some water samples from the shore of Lake Kihona. It turns out the lake level has decreased a bit recently, making the access more of a challenge that we had planned!

Lakes
From top to bottom: Lake Ngakeketo, Lake Wai Raupo, Lake Te Ketekete, Waitahora, and Lake Kihona.

But our usual efficiency kicked back up, and the next day we were done with lakes Waihopo and Wakahari by 2pm. Which left us time for some well-deserved (and well-appreciated!) lake appreciation at the shore of Lake Wakahari – basically by basking in the sun, seeing the lake in a new light and not as another beast we needed to tame! Our last day of sampling in the Far North led us to lakes Morehurehu and Te Kahika, surrounded by white sand and partial pine forests. Icing on the cake, we had enough time on the very last day to make it to Cape Reinga before going back south to take the plane!

Team Northland 1.1 - Missing Riki Ellison
Left to right: Xavier Pochon, Adelaine Moody, Jamie Howarth, Susie Wood, Maïlys Picard, Lentil the dragon, Marcus Vandergoes. Missing: Ricki Ellison!

Thank you, to everyone that I meet on those trips, to everyone that is part of this crazy adventure, for making it so unforgettable. Looking forward to what’s next!

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Congratulations Jamie Howarth

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Lakes Appreciation Month – What do we value about our lakes?

Publications

New manuscript on Rototoa (Auckland)

New manuscript on Lake Rototoa in Auckland has bee New manuscript on Lake Rototoa in Auckland has been published!!

A new manuscript titled - Resolving 500 years of anthropogenic impacts in a mesotrophic lake: Nutrients outweigh other drivers of lake change - led by Dr Rose Gregersen (Victoria University of Wellington) has been published in the prestigious journal Environmental Science & Technology.

The research explores the history of Rototoa, a lake in the Auckland region of Aotearoa-New Zealand. The researches combined sediment core analysis with historical data, and ecological experiments to determine what was causing the decline in lake health in recent decades. 

The researchers show that the health of the lake remained stable despite catchment deforestation and erosion, and the introduction of several non-native fish species. The most significant and sustained changes in lake health coincided with nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers in the catchment.

Congratulations Rose on your excellent research!

Visit www.lakes380.com for a link to the full manuscript.

#Lakes380 #Cawthron #GNS #ScienceLife #NZscience #research #researchLife #VictoriaUniversityofWellington #Aucklandlakes #rototoa #paleolimnology #sedimentcores
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About

  • The Project
  • The Science
    • Field Sampling
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  • Science Aims
  • Rohe Studies
    • Rangitīkei Iwi Rohe Study
    • Wairarapa Moana iwi rohe study
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  • The Team
    • Advisory Groups
    • Lakes380 Co-lead Institutes​
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Resources

  • Contact & Links
  • Blog, News & Publications
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