"Whale watching in Auckland

Saturday 28^th of October and I was happy when I left Orbit 360° Dining, I hope I get time to come back for one more meal before leaving New Zealand. I left the Sky Tower and one guy is coming down the tower landing on the platform next to the Mini Mart, or as they call it here on New Zealand; superette.

Superette

A Superette is an alternative name for a compact food market "convenience store" or "mini-mart" used in some places, particularly in Hawaii, New York City, Boston, Minnesota, Newfoundland and Labrador, - and the North Island of New Zealand.

I watched the guy jump out from the tower and I never bothered to wait for the second jumper. As I say, you seen one you have seen all.

I walked through Auckland and I never bothered to buy any MAX, or even to look for them as I expected to find them in the marina close to Auckland Whale and Dolphin Safari's office.

The Hauraki Gulf Marine Park

Discover today. Protect for Tomorrow.

1.2 million hectares, 50 islands, 5 marine reserves One of the most abundant and diverse marine parks in the world.

Over 25 of the 37 southern hemisphere marine mammals have been identified in the Marine Park.

Visited by 1/3 of all the types of marine mammals found on earth.

Home to a globally unique population of Brydes Whales that are critically endangered.

Join the qualified marine researchers on board New Zealand’s most accessible marine research vessel and learn about how your ticket purchase is contributing directly to Marine Conservation.

Well, this was nothing for me

Down town Auckland

Down town Auckland

Down town Auckland

Down town Auckland

Auckland whale and dolphin safaris boat

Time to board Auckland whale and dolphin safari's boat

Time to board Auckland whale and dolphin safari's boat

I reach the marina and I cannot find Auckland Whale and Dolphin Safari's ticket office. And I could not find a place to buy my MAX that I will need for the trip. The trip will last for 4 hours so I need some refreshments. On board they have Coca Cola products only. Obviously not a quality minded company. I had to ask for the ticket office and I was told to go to the Maritime Museum.

No signs, at least not what I could see. I paid 180 Dollars for the ticket and I went to look for a Mini Mart. I found a place and by the time I was back in the marina they had started the boarding. Most of the people went inside so I was alone in the back when we left Auckland behind.

I was glad that I had remembered my new jacket, it was a little nippy out on the ocean. But in the lee at the back of the ship and with the jacket it was OK and I enjoyed the trip watching Auckland disappearing behind us.

Gloom and grey for long as I could see so I was more or less giving up the idea to go to the Gannet colony when we're back in Auckland. But I'm monitoring the weather and I'm ready to go with just a few seconds notice. I carry the necessary equipment for the Gannet colony at all time.

Camera
Rain coat for the camera
My new jacket

The whale watching trip will take 4 hours and it looks like we have a long way to go before we reach the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park. We have to drive past all the islands north of Auckland before we're in the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park. Of course, we can see marine mammals all the way in to the Port of Auckland so I keep my eyes out.

Departure from Auckland

We see Auckland disappearing behind us

We see Auckland disappearing behind us

Safety instruction

We see Auckland disappearing behind us

We see Auckland disappearing behind us

We see Auckland disappearing behind us

We stop to check how many meters visibility there is in the water

We're taking a plankton sample as well

Plankton

(singular plankter) are the diverse collection of organisms that live in large bodies of water and are unable to swim against a current. They provide a crucial source of food to many large aquatic organisms, such as fish and whales.

These organisms include bacteria, archaea, algae, protozoa and drifting or floating animals that inhabit—for example—the pelagic zone of oceans, seas, or bodies of fresh water. Essentially, plankton are defined by their ecological niche rather than any phylogenetic or taxonomic classification.

Though many planktonic species are microscopic in size, plankton includes organisms over a wide range of sizes, including large organisms such as jellyfish. Technically the term does not include organisms on the surface of the water, which are called pleuston—or those that swim actively in the water, which are called nekton.

Food chain
Aside from representing the bottom few levels of a food chain that supports commercially important fisheries, plankton ecosystems play a role in the biogeochemical cycles of many important chemical elements, including the ocean's carbon cycle.

Carbon cycle
Primarily by grazing on phytoplankton, zooplankton provide carbon to the planktic foodweb, either respiring it to provide metabolic energy, or upon death as biomass or detritus. Organic material tends to be denser than seawater, so it sinks into open ocean ecosystems away from the coastlines, transporting carbon along with it. This process, called the biological pump, is one reason that oceans constitute the largest carbon sink on Earth.

It might be possible to increase the ocean's uptake of carbon dioxide (CO2) generated through human activities by increasing plankton production through seeding, primarily with the micronutrient iron. However, this technique may not be practical at a large scale. Ocean oxygen depletion and resultant methane production (caused by the excess production remineralising at depth) is one potential drawback.

World distribution of plankton

Oxygen production
Phytoplankton absorb energy from the Sun and nutrients from the water to produce their own nourishment or energy. In the process of photosynthesis, phytoplankton release molecular oxygen (O 2) into the water as a waste biproduct. It is estimated that about 50% of the world's oxygen is produced via phytoplankton photosynthesis. The rest is produced via photosynthesis on land by plants. Furthermore, phytoplankton photosynthesis has controlled the atmospheric CO2/O2 balance since the early Precambrian Eon.

Biomass variability
The growth of phytoplankton populations is dependent on light levels and nutrient availability. The chief factor limiting growth varies from region to region in the world's oceans. On a broad scale, growth of phytoplankton in the oligotrophic tropical and subtropical gyres is generally limited by nutrient supply, while light often limits phytoplankton growth in subarctic gyres. Environmental variability at multiple scales influences the nutrient and light available for phytoplankton, and as these organisms form the base of the marine food web, this variability in phytoplankton growth influences higher trophic levels. For example, at interannual scales phytoplankton levels temporarily plummet during El Niño periods, influencing populations of zooplankton, fishes, sea birds, and marine mammals.

The effects of anthropogenic warming on the global population of phytoplankton is an area of active research. Changes in the vertical stratification of the water column, the rate of temperature-dependent biological reactions, and the atmospheric supply of nutrients are expected to have important impacts on future phytoplankton productivity. Additionally, changes in the mortality of phytoplankton due to rates of zooplankton grazing may be significant.

Freshly hatched fish larvae are also plankton for a few days, as long as it takes before they can swim against currents.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A little something to think about while
we dump all the shit in the oceans

We stop to check how clear the water is. Clear water means that the sunshine reach deeper and this is good for the plankton. And if it is good for the plankton it is good for us. They produce the oxygen we breathe. Most of the oxygen we breathe is coming from the oceans.

We also check how much plankton there is in the water. They drop a funnel made of a very fine mesh with a jar in the bottom. They pull up the funnel and all the plankton ends up in the jar. Then they weight the plankton and they can keep a record, increasing or decreasing.

I was soon spotting a new bird, the Flesh-footed Shearwater. But it was not easy to take pictures from the moving boat. But the pictures I got was usable even though the quality left a lot to wish for. I saw another small bird, but I sent all the pictures to the garbage bin.

Flesh-footed Shearwater

Ardenna carneipes; formerly Puffinus carneipes

Flesh-footed Shearwater

Ardenna carneipes; formerly Puffinus carneipes

Gannets are fishing

Gannets are fishing

Gannets are fishing

Australasian Gannet

Australasian Gannet

Australasian Gannet

Australasian Gannet

Gannets are fishing

The weather was OK, but it was gloom and grey for as long as I could see. Low clouds and I just knew that it would not be any visit to the Muriwai Gannet Colony. Well, I hope I can go tomorrow. My Guide from Wrybill Birding Tours told me that we could go on Monday morning before we went to Northland to look for Kiwis.

I told him that we have to see, I don't want to take any chances and I will take off as soon as the weather permits. And the weather forecast for tomorrow shows dark clouds, but a small sun between the clouds, So maybe I can go tomorrow. I really want to see the Muriwai Gannet Colony in good weather before I leave New Zealand.

Looks like it can be sunshine tomorrow

Flesh-footed Shearwater

Ardenna carneipes; formerly Puffinus carneipes

Flesh-footed Shearwater

Ardenna carneipes; formerly Puffinus carneipes

Low clouds and I just knew that it would not be any Gannet Colony today

Low clouds and I just knew that it would not be any Gannet Colony today

We saw dolphins and we also saw the Bryde's whale, but I wa snot happy. 180 Dollars and this have been my most expensive (what I can remember) and the worst whale watching I have ever been on. I have done a few whale watching tours around the world and they always position the boat so everyone can see the whales.

Here they use another technique. The go after the whales so only the very few people up front can see the whales. I saw passengers holding up there phones over the people in front of them to get pictures. Well, they could as well have stayed home to look at pictures on internet.

I saw the whale next to the ship and I was just about to take a picture when they changed course to steer towards the whale and I never got the chance to take the picture. And I was happy, I had planned to book two tickets, for Saturday and Sunday.

But booking online and they required a lot of information. To fill up this on the small keyboard on the phone, no, so I skipped the online booking. Good, I saved 180 Dollars for the Sunday whale watching tour that I would never had going on.

Auckland Whale and Dolphin Safari gets a whooping ONE star (Poor and boring) for their whale watching tour. The boat was very nice and the crew was very friendly, but for whale watching experience, POOR! And whale watching is the reason to be on the boat.

Juvenile Kelp Gull

Juvenile Kelp Gull

Juvenile Kelp Gull

Kelp Gull

We were late to come back to Auckland, scheduled time was around 18:00 but it was 7 before we could step ashore in the marina. We had been far out in the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park and it was almost 2 hours to come back to Auckland. I spotted a few Kelp Gulls on the way back to Auckland, we had a juvenile Kelp Gull following us.

We were making full speed and it was amazing to sit in the back watching the big seabirds. Even though they didn't flap their wings they came closer and closer so they are really fast, an impressive sight.

Saturday night and I will go back to my room, so much to do and so little time so I will for sure not waste the time with a hangover. No problem to avoid the place with live music and an Irish flag that I spotted when we came back to the marina. I can't remember having ever been to any Irish place playing good music.

Sign saying LIVE MUSIC and a Irish flag, then you know that you just have to stay well away.
Irish music must be the worst music

So I stopped at the Mini Mart in the marina, I bought some MAX and a jar of honey and I was off with a taxi. I can't really plan anything for tomorrow, depending on the weather. I will try to get to Auckland Domain and if the weather permits, I'm off to the Gannet Colony. Click HERE to find out about tomorrow's weather here in Auckland.


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OK, it has come to my knowledge that we have senior citizens visiting my web page. How hard can it be? So it's not very easy for them to see the blue coloured links to the next page.

Jiffy (also jiff)

noun [in SING.] informal a moment: we'll be back in a jiffy.

ORIGIN late 18th cent.: of unknown origin.

So as you understand, in a jiff pretty much depends on your internet.

So I put a “Next” button here and I hope that there isn't any problem to understand how to use that one. So just CLICK the “Next” button on your left hand side and you will be on the next page in a jiff!

Marunong ka mag-tagalog? Walang problema! Magpunta sa kabilang pahina pindutin ang “NEXT” button sa itaas

Faites vous parlez le français? Pas de problème! Pour arriver à la page suivante faites s'il vous plaît un déclic le bouton “Next” ci-dessus!

Haga usted dice el español? No hay problema! Ver la siguiente página sólo hacer clic el botón “Next” encima!

Farla parla l'italiano? Non problemi! Per vedere la prossima pagina lo scatto per favore giusto Il bottone “Next” sopra

Sprechen sie Deutsch! Kein problem! Wenn Sie die folgende Seite sehen wollen gerade klicken der Knopf “Next” oben!

คุณพูดภาษาไทยได้ไหม ไม่มีปัญหา ถ้าคุณต้องการไปหน้าถัดไป ให้กดปุ่ม “Next” ข้างบนนี้

Вы говорите по-русски? Просто нажмите синюю кнопку "Next" с левой стороны и Вы моментально переместитесь на следующую страницу!

E ni Svenskar och inte förstår Engelska så ska ni skämmas. J och Björn, med det menar jag inte att alla mina stavfel ska ältas varje gång vi träffas.

Well, the flag of Skåne, just a BONUS flag.

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