Splashing out of the gene pool
Whenever we have out of town visitors staying, I take them on an expedition to the Aramoana mole, at the mouth of Otago Harbour. There, without fail, we can see New Zealand fur-seals on the rocks...
Biological Taonga
Tide turns on chiton debate
Tide turns on chiton debate
To care for our living treasures, we first need to know what they are.
The journey of our branching trees
The journey of our branching trees
Our trees have some intriguing family histories.
A remarkable bird by any name
A remarkable bird by any name
The tītī is a bird with many cousins, the science tells us.
Endangered skinks need our protection
Endangered skinks need our protection
We are a land of more lizards than you might think.
Poetry in motion
Poetry in motion
In 1713 Jonathan Swift, the satirist remembered best as the author of Gulliver’s Travels, had a problem.
Sibling species a cryptic plot twist
Sibling species a cryptic plot twist
Hamish G. Spencer takes a look at sibling species.
Mohua part of their own flock
Mohua part of their own flock
It turns out that mohua are even more special than previously suspected.
Native mistletoe a rare delight
Native mistletoe a rare delight
It is the best time of year to spot some of our special plants.
Where nothing is as it seems
Where nothing is as it seems
They are are not worms but they are remarkable.
Unique, diverse heralds of summer
Unique, diverse heralds of summer
It’s a diverse chorus of voices that makes our sound of summer.
Blood-sucking fish in its own league
Blood-sucking fish in its own league
The more you look at them, the clearer it becomes that lampreys are a bit weird.
Fantastic beasts and where to find them
Fantastic beasts and where to find them
The uniqueness of a neighbourhood treasure is a story worth repeating.
Climate presents challenge for tuatara
Climate presents challenge for tuatara
Hamish Spencer shares his experience of helping to re-establish a population of tuatara at Te Kuri o Paoa, Young Nick’s Head, south of Gisborne.
As special as a moa
As special as a moa
I often wished as a child that I could see a living moa just once. They stimulated in my boyish imagination visions of an ancient world that had long disappeared, writes Hamish Spencer.
Recognising what remains to be known
Recognising what remains to be known
There are treasures still to be found. We should treasure them now.
A ringing endorsement for clean streams
A ringing endorsement for clean streams
On a family holiday in Northland some years ago, we all went off after dark in search of kiwi.
Shags for sure
Shags for sure
Some often overlooked birds are a wonderful example of our region’s diversity, writes Hamish Spencer.