Coasts

The NIWA Invertebrate Collection mainly consists of samples collected in the deepsea, but occasionally we find shallow exceptions like this stunning sea urchin.

Do you know where in New Zealand to find Neptune’s necklace or rimurapa? Or how to tell apart Carpophyllum from Cystophora?

An interactive guide to the large brown seaweeds of New Zealand.

This Habitat Mapping module will show you how to collect useful information to describe and monitor habitats in estuaries.

The type of sediment that is deposited in your estuary, be it mud or sand, and how quickly it is deposited, has a big influence on what your estuary will look like, how clear the water will be, and the types of plants and animals that can live in it. Download 7 guides for this module.

Anthoptilum grandiflorum (Verrill, 1879) is a species of Pennatulacea, or sea pen, in the octocoral group of Cnidaria. Octocorals are so named because they have 8 tentacles to each of their polyps.

The main breeding population of New Zealand sea lions at the Auckland Islands has halved in size since the late-1990s; NIWA scientists are working with the government and experts from around New Zealand and overseas to understand why.

A sea hare is a type of opisthobranch or sea slug in the phylum Mollusca, with soft bodies, a reduced internal shell and two tall rhinophores coming out of their heads that resemble the ears of a hare.

While Tangaroa might be considered its flagship, NIWA’s extensive range of maritime work could not be completed without the support vessels Kaharoa and Ikatere.

A NIWA scientist with an international reputation as an outstanding leader in marine ecological field experiments was last night awarded the prestigious New Zealand Marine Sciences Society (NZMSS) Award.

Marine scientists are proving they know that it takes good bait to catch a big audience.

NIWA has just deployed six acoustic moorings to eavesdrop on mysterious noise makers in the Cook Strait, New Zealand.