Whakataki is a spectacular spot on the Wairarapa coast just north of Castlepoint. It features as one of the localities on our GeoTrips websiteThe shoreline is a large area of tilted rock strata that have been eroded into a broad, flat platform extending for hundreds of metres along the coast. The rock layers are alternating […]
Lake Tutira is a scenic spot on the route between Napier and Wairoa in northern Hawkes Bay. It is in a very rural setting, surrounded by steep hillsides and farmland. The landscape around the lake contains several powerful geological stories. The first is that the hills themselves, made up of rocks that are about 1.8
Lake Tutira – tectonic uplift, ice ages, landslides and cyclones Read More »
Following last weeks’ multibeam sonar survey, the bed of Lake Rotomahana has now been mapped to a resolution of half a metre, bringing to light a mass of detail hitherto unknown to scientists. The first photo shows last year’s map which was made with the assistance of WHOI (Wood’s Hole Oceanographic Institution). The resolution of
Rotomahana’s lake floor prompts many questions Read More »
The Seismic Survey of Lake Rotomahana is proceeding well this week. Whilst it is being led by GNS Science, the University of Waikato and NIWA are providing technical assistance with some of the equipment being used. The first photo shows the survey boat being loaded with the the cable that contains the hydrophones. These pick
Lake Rotomahana Seismic Read More »
This week I am revisiting Lake Rotomahana with Cornel de Ronde and two surveyors from IXSurvey, Mark Matthews and Dave Mundy. Our first goal in this year’s research at the lake is to make the most detailed map possible of the lake floor. Next week we will use this detailed map to help us take
Rotomahana multibeam survey Read More »
Takaka limestone country Whilst on holiday in the Nelson area last week, I went for a look around the limestone plateau of Takaka Hill, not far from the huge natural shaft of Harwood’s Hole. I managed to persuade a couple of friends to come along for the adventure. The area is very rugged, covered with
On a recent trip to Europe, I spent time in Romania, France and Italy. Here are some of the geological highlights I visited: This photo is an underground glacier in the Apuseni Park. This is an area of the Carpathian Mountains with over 200 limestone caves. The Focul Viu ice cave that we visited is
With Uwe Morgenstern, also from GNS Science I hiked the length of the Tararuas just north of Wellington over 4 days. The Tararua mountains are a section of the ‘backbone’ of New Zealand. They are made of greywacke rock, pushed up by the tectonic forces of plate collision. Like most of New Zealand’s mountains, they
Yesterday I was offered a flight from Paraparaumu Airport to Kaikoura by Felix Morgenstern. His father Uwe is the water and ice dating specialist here at GNS Science. This was a great chance to admire some fantastic landforms created by the uplift of the leading edge of the Australian Tcctonic Plate right up close to
Marlborough and Kaikoura from the air Read More »
Palliser Bay is an isolated sweep of coastline about 2 hours drive from Wellington. It is separated from New Zealand’s busy capital city by the Rimutaka Range. Yesterday I visited the area with a group of Lower Hutt school children as part of their Year Seven geology camp. Fully armed with the “Kiwi Fossils Hunter’s