Intrepid marine machine
Words Alex Stone | Photos supplied by Auckland University
Back in the day when Goat Island was the first and only marine reserve in New Zealand (and the world), two scientists from the University of Auckland could be seen bobbing about in a wee plywood rowboat, collecting plankton in a bucket.
They then graduated to a tinnie of the unremarkable kind. The marine biologists studying at the university’s marine research lab at Cape Rodney-Okakari Point Marine Reserve (the official name for Goat Island) have since progressed through a fleet of research vessels – all a tad too small and under-equipped. But they made do. Until now.
Enter Te Kaihōpara (The Explorer), a multi-million-dollar aluminium vessel of the very remarkable kind. The state-of-the-art, super-capable and eminently seaworthy 15.9m power catamaran was built in Whanganui by Q-West Boat Builders Ltd. Te Kaihōpara is all set to make our scientists at Leigh Marine Laboratory proud. For their work is very necessary, and Te Kaihōpara will become a pivotal part of the campaign to restore the collapsing biodiversity of Tikapa Moana the Hauraki Gulf.
The university’s marine research at the Goat Island laboratory spans a wide repertoire of subjects, including climate change, conservation and restoration, whales and dolphins, microplastics, noise pollution, sea birds, seafloor ecology, aquaculture, kelp and kina, as well as the economic benefits of marine reserves.
Te Kaihopara will support projects such as researching:
• The resilience of kelp and the effectiveness of large-scale kina removals for restoring kelp forests.
• How boat noise stresses snapper and whales, and more widely the role of underwater sound in the Gulf.
• Effects of climate change, such as invasive sea urchins, and new methods for checking the health of the marine environment at scale.
• Feeding groups of whales, dolphins, seabirds and rays.
• Habitat use and interactions of large marine animals.
• Potential for carbon storage in coastal ecosystems.
The work schedule of Te Kaihōpara, and the planning of it, will ultimately be the responsibility of Professor Simon Thrush, director of the University’s Institute of Marine Science. The skipper of Te Kaihōpara is Brady Doak, son of legendary Kiwi underwater explorer Wade Doak.
With the ability to accommodate eight people aboard for offshore passages of up to 25 days Te Kaihōpara is built to explore far beyond the confines of the Hauraki Gulf – from Manawatāwhi (Three Kings Islands) in the north to as far south as Kaikoura and Greymouth. But mostly, the boat will be working locally and will become a familiar sight for Hibiscus Coast boaties. Please pay attention to the ‘Divers Down’ flag which no doubt will be frequently flying.
Te Kaihōpara replaces the previous 15-metre RV Hawere research vessel (which was able to support six people for up to a week at sea), and will complement the inshore work of the lab’s fleet of smaller (less than 6m) outboard-powered boats.
Working out of Goat Island, Te Kaihōpara will help highlight the urgent need for more marine reserves in the Hauraki Gulf, such as one planned for Waiheke Island.
Vital stats Te Kaihopara
Designer: Teknicraft Design
LOA: 15.9m
Beam: 5.6m
Draft: 1.5m
Passengers: 8 live aboard – 25 day trip
Cruise Speed: 18-20 knots
Fuel Capacity: 2500 Litres
Survey: MNZ, Part 40C and Part 40A
Engines: 2 x Cummins QSB 6.7 Marine Diesel
Propulsion: Fixed Pitch Propeller
Construction: Marine Grade Aluminium
Launched: January 2022
The name: Local iwi Ngāti Manuhiri, partners in mussel reef restoration, gifted the name Te Kaihōpara.