You’re invited to meet the Three Kings scien...
If you're near the museum tomorrow drop in and meet some of the Three Kings expedition team now they're back on dry land. For now check out a couple of Read More...
Approaching dry land but dreaming of Three Kings...
Land is in sight but here are some gorgeous shots of what we've left behind in the Three Kings Read More...
A gallery of fish – a farewell gift from the...
We've upped anchor and we're heading home after a great final day. We know how much you've enjoyed the blog photos so as a farewell gift from the Three Kings Read More...
Q- Have there been any sightings of spotted black ...
A- Thanks so much for your question Quentin. You’re right, they’re very special and I can’t believe I’ve forgotten to mention that we’ve seen spotted black grouper on most dives! Read More...
Coming together in the Kings
We can’t believe it but the end is here – today is our last day in the Three Kings, we’re off at 9pm today but before we set off I Read More...
Do fish have tongues? … and other questions...
Do fish have tongues? How do fish sleep? What's the largest fish in the world? How deep can they swim? We answer more of your fishy questions ... and a Read More...
We’re back under water!
Yay! We were able to get back in the water diving today after two and half days stuck on the boat during the storm. The sun was out and we Read More...
Twenty questions with the expedition team...
We've had so many great questions on the blog we thought we should devote a whole post to some answers for you all. Read More...
Catton’s Cave: the true Kings treasure – v...
Nevermind the Elingamite wreck, we've found the real Three Kings treasure - Catton’s Cave, Rosemary Rock.
There is so much to see in Catton’s Cave it’s hard to know where to Read More...
Stormy seas for the Three Kings expedition team...
One Three Kings marine expedition team - shaken and stirred. We're hiding from a nasty wee storm right now but not before we took some video footage to give you Read More...
Elingamite wreck riches
Before the swells rolled in and imposed a brief diving hiatus we went diving near the site of the Elingamite wreck. Read More...
Albatrosses, dolphins and farewell to the Princes...
Not so swell weather is making diving a little tricky but even when we're not under the water the Three Kings is still yielding some wonderfully unexpected finds. Read More...
First new fish record for expedition follows last ...
We've discovered our first new fish record for the Three Kings Islands. They're not big but for the team onboard the Braveheart these little pipers are very exciting. Read More...
Lights, camera, polychaete worms
Lights, camera, polychaete worms. That's a fairly accurate summary of what happened when we suspended lights off the back of the boat. Read More...
Nudibranchs, fighting sponges and other works of a...
We're out here for science but we also wanted to share the incredible beauty of what we're seeing. Skip is one of three photographers on the expedition and through his Read More...
When is a deep sea angler fish not a deep sea angl...
By virtue of their name you'd expect to find a deep sea angler fish in deep, dark waters but ... Read More...
New find for the Kings: stalked jellyfish...
The ‘find of the day’ goes to the invertebrate team, who are very excited about the stalked jellyfish they discovered.
Read More...
Coming face-to-face with a cray and some spineless...
When we’re doing two dives a day the photographers keep their cameras in their underwater housings until the end of the second dive, so we have to be patient before Read More...
Underwater video: Blue maomao and swaying sargassu...
Richie shot some video for us while he and Skip were diving near the archway on the north side of the Princes islands.
Read More...
Q- How long can you be under the water diving? How...
A- Ayesha and Jacqui’s classes and Charlotte, wanted to know more about the diving. Most of us are diving using scuba gear and breathing from a tank of compressed air on Read More...
Q- How important is seaweed to the fish and to our...
A- Tom and Malcolm say ‘great question – and the answer is very important!’ Seaweed is home to all sorts of fish – it’s got lots of nooks and crannies Read More...
Q- Can fish get sunburn?
A- What an interesting answer and, actually, the answer is yes (sort of)! Tom says that fish don’t get sunburnt and turn pink like we do in the sun – Read More...
A Prince among islands & butterfly perches wi...
Inquisitive butterfly perch and vast forests of gently swaying seaweed were among the sights that met the team on their first dives in the Three Kings. Read More...
Dive report for the Three Kings – we’r...
We've made it to the Three Kings Islands and reports from the first dive have verified crystal clear waters. Read More...
First dive at Cavalli Islands yields seaweed disco...
We made it to Three Kings in the wee hours of this morning and we'll be sharing more about that very soon but first we wanted to update you on Read More...
A special update for the students at Freeman’...
A special hello to the classes at Freeman’s Bay from everyone on the boat and thanks for your great questions on our last blog post. Matt the skipper just had Read More...
Day two: orca sightings & a shake-down dive...
We've had our first unexpected find for the expedition ... a pod of orca whales. Read More...
Introducing a couple of seasoned Three Kings Islan...
It's all smooth sailing so far. We've spent the day getting familiar with our new lodgings at sea.
Read More...
Last supper & first team photo for expedition...
Nine scientists, two underwater photographers, a science communicator and the ship's crew met for a farewell-to-land supper last night in Tauranga. Today they're about to set sail. Read More...
Scientific breakthroughs and a bottled fish...
Last week we brought you some of the video highlights from our Kermadec expedition – this week we thought we’d give you a small glimpse into some of the scientific Read More...
Return to the Kermadecs: video highlights...
Just to whet your appetite for next month's marine expedition to the Three Kings Islands, we thought we'd share some of the videos from our 2011 expedition to the Kermadec Read More...
Three Kings checklist: medicals, oxygen ‘sno...
As you can imagine Tom Trnski and the team at Auckland Museum have been hard at work organising the expedition, and I've been getting regular updates telling me what's happening. Read More...
Introducing your Three Kings Islands tour guide (a...
Telling great (true!) stories about the world we live in and talking to interesting people that know more about it than me is what I love best.
In the first Read More...
Three Kings Islands Expedition kicks off the museu...
On April 8 a team of scientists from four different organisations will head off on an expedition to the Three Kings Islands to document the marine life and make new Read More...
Q- When you went on an expedition to the Kermadecs...
A- No, it’s not the same in the Three Kings Islands. The reason we couldn’t catch and eat fish in the Kermadec Islands was because it is a marine reserve Read More...
Q- Why do you collect more than one of any type of...
A- That’s a good question. Next time you’re in a room with about 20 people (maybe your classroom or maybe your office) take a look around and think about which Read More...
Q- If you find a new species of fish will you get ...
A- If we find a species that has never been identified before we will get to name it but it won’t happen right away. The first thing we will have Read More...
Latest Comments
This king fish is the biggest one I have ever seen.
Wonderful exped. have followed with delight. Sharing it on my website and Facebook page. Lot to think about ... Wade
No more days at sea now - they're home tonight! But if you want to learn some more from the expedition team you can meet
Thanks for your questions Christabel. The team says the whale shark is by far the largest fish in the world. Fish defini