Parangarahu/ Horseshoe Bay

Site Description

Length 350m, max depth, 8m.

Fringing reef along the shoreline with several rocky outcrops separate from the shoreline. Bottom composition is shell and sand. The bay is exposed to swells from the north and east and is affected by runoff from Matapouri Estuary to the north west. A small creek empties into the bay at the start of the survey site.

Surveys – Latest First

Date: 28-04-20

Time of Survey: 11:30

Tide: HT 11:20

Moon Phase: Waxing 4 days (new moon 23-04)

Conditions:

Water Temp: 20c

Visibility: 5-7m

Sea State: calm, slight east swell

Wind Direction/Strength: Southeast 5-10kn

Cloud Cover: fine

Survey Team: Hamish, Ali, Rob, Lucy, Janey, Glenn

Survey Notes

This is our first survey where we have replaced the “Overall Health” assessment line with an assessment of the Mauri. Mauri – an internal energy or life force derived from whakapapa, an essential essence or element sustaining all forms of life. Mauri provides life and energy to all living things, and is the binding force that links the physical to the spiritual worlds (e.g. wairua). It denotes a health and spirit, which permeates through all living and non-living things. All plants, animals, water and soil possess mauri. Damage or contamination to the environment is therefore damage to or loss of mauri. (Harmsworth, Awatere, 2013). This survey comes after five weeks of no fishing, diving or boating, due to the Covid 19 Lockdown rules.

View the Slideshow of Results:

Discussion

The team’s impressions of Parangarahu today were: convalescing but still hurting, empty but with a sense of possibility and a sense of the water feeling cleansed. This sense of possibility and cleansing is reflected in the consensus of the mauri feeling stronger than the health indicators overall. This is also reflected in the improvement of the impacts, in particular, NIA and sedimentation, which was noticeably improved. The state of the ecklonia and the overall abundance at Parangarahu are still a major concern.