Alison Ballance from Radio New Zealand here. In just a few days we set off for the Kermadecs and we’re looking forward to telling you all about what happens on the expedition, as it happens.
Because Tom will often be busy diving, observing, and collecting specimens, I’ll be your eyes and ears at sea – keeping you up to date about what the scientists are doing and hopefully sharing many exciting discoveries. I can’t access the Web on the ship, so staff back at Auckland Museum will be publishing my posts to this website as I send them through. Fingers crossed the technology all works – there are no computer technicians in the Kermadecs!
Tom and the team configuring the laptop for sending daily blog posts from the Braveheart
We’ll try to respond to some of your comments while we’re at sea, but we have limited ability to send communications back to the Museum and may have to answer your questions when we get back.
In the meantime we’re all incredibly busy getting ready and I asked a few of the expedition team members to let you in on some of the behind the scenes preparation that goes into a three-week research trip to a marine environment like this. I’ll post the first one later today.
For my part I have been packing my personal bag, checking my dive equipment, and brushing up on my dive skills with a quick course. The hardest job has been deciding how much sunblock to take – we’re heading to the subtropics after all, and I have high hopes for the weather!
