Show us your mussels
We’ve been watching the mussel/kūtai beds around The Noises for as long as we can remember. For so many years they have been a reliable source of food for our family, countless visitors to the islands and the many generations…
Honoured by Minister Kiri Allan’s visit to The Noises
It’s human nature to want to share the “firsts”. This week, we welcomed Minister of Conservation, Hon. Kiri Allan to The Noises. It’s the first time a sitting Minister has visited the islands. As Minister of Conservation, Hon. Kiri Allan…
Increased coastal erosion is wearing us down
It’s not as if we need additional reasons to push for marine protection, nevertheless, here’s another compelling argument for ocean conservation – because a healthy ocean can help combat coastal erosion. Scientists have long been aware that a generous covering…
A neighbour’s view
Simon Fraser attended a snorkel around Otata Island with Experiencing Marine Reserves. Simon has given us permission to publish his account here on The Noises website, which was first published on The Rakino Island Community Website. Ngā mihi nui, Simon…
The neighbours that snorkel together
A splendid splashy tale about the day the neighbours came round for a snorkel. When people think of the Neureuter’s neighbours on The Noises, they tend to think of seabirds. Of noisy petrels and species of shag, of gannets and…
Just like nature, we’re evolving! Introducing The Noises Charitable Trust.
Following delivery of The Noises High Protection Area (HPA) proposal to the Government last year, The Noises Marine Restoration Project Team (a collaboration between our [Neureuter] whānau, the Auckland Museum, and the University of Auckland), collectively evaluated how we had…
Expedition Ōtata: The Noises monitoring trip December 2021
Key to the goal of holistic protection of The Noises is the rollout of a detailed and long-term monitoring plan of both the land and sea. This plan took a big step forward in December when biologists from Tāmaki Paenga…
Kekeno: New Zealand Fur Seals. What’s not to love?
Once up a time, kekeno or New Zealand fur seals, were found from the deepest reaches of the Southern Ocean to the Far North, making their homes on offshore islands, on mainland Aotearoa and even parts of Australia. But with…
Profound changes for the big pohutukawa
A few weeks ago the big pohutukawa near the bach on Ōtata lost its two massive northern limbs. Well, they're not exactly lost, more cracked, bent, and bowed and it happened in completely still and hot conditions. Why then? Rod…
Love mussels, the romantic tale of a broadcast spawner
Flourishing beds of kūtai, or mussels, once covered much of the inner Hauraki Gulf, with a typical mussel capable of filtering an estimated 30 litres of water each day. However, following over a century of intensive cultivation, including dredging, this…