R/V Tangaroa

This past weekend I went on a trip up north to Rotorua and then on to Auckland. While I flew through Auckland on my way into the country, I had never seen any of the countryside north of Wellington and I jumped at the chance to join my friend on a little road trip up the island. The drive was absolutely gorgeous and I had a great time.

It just so happened that my advisor from the states was coming into port in Auckland after a three week research cruise to the Kermadec Ridge, home to a submarine volcano range and some really cool deep-sea ecosystems. The ship docked at about 9 am and he was flying back to the states that night, so I snuck in a quick meeting that afternoon to discuss my Fulbright project.

He joined a number of colleagues from NIWA, the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Science, or GNS, the University of Washington, and others, on board NIWA’s R/V Tangaro. In Maori culture, Tangaroa is the God responsible for the sea.

Upon arrival in Auckland, I found my way straight to the dock and met with my advisor on the ship. When the meeting was over, my friend James, an engineer at WHOI gave me a tour of the ship, highlighting some of the quirkier aspects of the R/V Tangaroa.

Like the tile bathtub…

…and the factory-like rooms down below that I imagine were used for fish processing. I have no proper sources for this assumption, but I think it used to be a trawler before it was converted to a research ship.

I even snapped a shot of the city skyline from inside the ship's bridge.


I stayed in Auckland until Tuesday afternoon and really enjoyed catching up with friends and checking out the city. A special highlight was the Maritime Museum, which had a huge range of exhibits from traditional islander and Maori canoes to the winning 1995 America's cup Yacht. The museum is a must do in Auckland.

What can I say? I'm a total ocean nerd!