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The latest news from the Three Kings Islands Marine Expedition

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You're invited to meet the Three Kings scientists tomorrow

You're invited to meet the Three Kings scientists tomorrow

Apr 23

Our expedition team is back from the Three Kings Islands and ready to answer your questions about what they found and to show you some of the specimens they collected to help build their understanding of the marine environment. The blog has been a fantastic chance to follow their discoveries but now you can meet them face to face and talk to them about their preliminary findings about marine life in the Three Kings. In the few days since the team got back on dry land they've already identified that one of the fish they found is likely to be a new species. So who knows what tomorrow will bring. You can meet four of the team - including University of Queensland PhD student Libby Liggins and one of the expedition's photographers Richard Robinson - tomorrow at 11am at the Auckland Museum. There are some more details of the session below and we've also got some more underwater footagREAD MORE...

Apr23

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...
It's been great! Apr20

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...
This species of Landburgia has only been collected twice Apr19

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...
Apr19

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...
A whale shark - the world's largest fish. Disclaimer: this may not be a real one as the team hasn't spotted (or photographed) one in the Three Kings Apr17

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...
Apr17

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...
Apr16

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...
Apr16

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...
Apr14

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...
Apr14

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...
Apr13

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...
Apr13

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...
Larval stage of deep sea angler fish Apr12

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...
Apr11

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...
Apr11

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...
Video of blue maomao & sargassum Apr11

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...
Apr10

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...
Apr10

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...
Happy seaweed folk - Wendy sorts through the Roberta's finds from her dive around the Cavalli Islands Apr9

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...
Apr9

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...
Apr8

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...
Apr4

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...
Mar28

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...
To do list for Three Kings Mar27

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...
Mar26

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...
Mar25

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...
Mar22

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...

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Dr Tom Trnski

Dr Tom Trnski

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Alison Ballance
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Professor Wendy Nelson
Roberta D’Archino
Libby Liggins
Ian Skipworth
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