Auckland Museum: My ocean

Everyone knows I love going to Museums!  So I was thrilled when I was invited to explore a new exhibit at the Auckland Museum: Moanna - My Ocean.  It explores life across the shorelines of New Zealand, to animals living in the depths of the ocean.

The ocean is home to animals that are both small (ex. plankton) to large (ex. great white sharks).  Each live in different environments, and this exhibit does a great job of highlighting some of the special features of each.

Explorers start at the shoreline, looking at birds of the coast, and then moving on the animals that live along the continental shelf.  For instance, did you know that the Snapper actually lives up to it's name, and has a pretty scary set of teeth on it?  One of the highlights of this part, was a 3D movie, which was housed in it's own 3 dimensional, sea urchin inspired, theatre.  (If you ever have an abundance of leftover pool noodles, now you know what to do with them!)

Next, visitors move on to the pelagic (mid-water) zone.  This area displays several large sharks (life size replicates of actual sharks living in the Hauraki Gulf.  However, if they were real sharks, you wouldn't be able to do this!
This area also has a 360 degree screen, which shows the behaviour of schooling fish.  The fish are not part of a movie, but actually have individual artificial intelligence.  They move via a programmed routine, and react based on what predators are thrown at them, and how neighbouring fish move.  That being said, the show is not the same twice!  It was really exciting to watch! 

Finally, we moved into the dark depths of the deep-sea. 

Many of the animals that live in this area are unique, and modified to live in a part of the ocean that is very cold and dark.  Explorers can experience the feeling of all the pressure that one would experience living under all that water.  What a squeeze.  It's hard to imagine that even at a depth like that, many animals (such as this crab) grow to incredible sizes! 

After visiting the depths, visitors return to the shoreline, where they can examine a few more coastal species of birds, urchins, sharks, and this wonderful yellow boxfish! 

If you are in the Auckland area, I would highly recommend you visit this amazing exploration of the ocean around New Zealand!

Education Update

I'm afraid that the Wandering Octopus has not been on any fantastic adventures recently, so there have been no blog updates.  However, I would like to share with you what is going on in my life.

I have been working hard over the past two years working on a Master's degree at the Auckland University of Technology.  My thesis has been written and is currently being reviewed (insert dramatic music here).  It is 90 pages long, and over 20,000 words.  I feel extremely accomplished in the work I have submitted, and I am anxious to get the reviewed manuscripts back so I can begin working on the final edits.  However, this will not be happening until early August (so I have about a months break time).

I have been working at AUT over this semester, teaching an entry level scientific writing course, and invigilating final exams.  Now that all of that is done for the semester, I finally have a few weeks to breathe. 

My time in New Zealand is coming to a close, and I will be returning to Canada at the end of the month.  (But hopefully, I will have time to go on one or two more adventures with the Octopus before I fly out).  However, I hope to return here next year to begin a phD, as I am enjoying the topic that I am working on, and hope to expand my research to a larger group of squid! 

Thank you all for continuing to follow me, supporting me, and showing interest in my adventures!

Aaron & the Wandering Octopus