Hauraki Gulf Marine Park Celebrates Anniversary

NEWS RELEASE

Fullers Wishes the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park a Happy 10th Anniversary

Auckland, 4 March 2010 – February 27th marked the 10th Anniversary of the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park, a valued and defining natural asset for the Auckland region.

The Hauraki Gulf Marine Park, established by the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park Act 2000, is a unique concept to New Zealand. It is the region’s “National Park of the sea” and includes 1.2 million hectares of water, conservation islands, as well as pockets of private and coastal land, from the top of the Auckland region to the bottom of the Coromandel Peninsula’s east coast.

As a key ferry service provider for several islands within the park, including Waiheke Island, Rangitoto Island, Motutapu, Great Barrier Island, Motuihe, Tiritiri Matangi Island and Kawau Island, as well as the Coromandel and a long-time supporter of conservation efforts, Fullers is very proud to be a sponsor of several activities to mark the 10th Anniversary of the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park.

The anniversary offers Fullers not only the opportunity to promote the accessibility of the islands by ferry, but also highlights its support of the Hauraki Gulf Forum’s vision for the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park. Fullers has for many years strongly supported the activities of Department of Conservation as well as the various island Trusts and carried out many initiatives to help conserve the islands, while driving appreciation of the park among the general public.

Throughout the month of March there will be various festivities to celebrate the park’s 10th Anniversary, and Fullers will be operating three guided discovery cruises.

Fullers Discovery Cruise 1 on Saturday the 13th of March will depart from Auckland at 9am to explore the northern area of the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park with guest commentary from Mel Galbraith, Senior Lecturer Natural Sciences, Unitec Institute of Technology. The cruise will sail via the world renowned bird sanctuary of Tiritiri Matangi Island, via Motuketekete, Moturekareka, Motuora and onto the tranquil and historic charm of Kawau Island for a guided walk by the Friends of Mansion House. The cruise will then continue up to and around Little Barrier Island, a nature reserve and invaluable refuge for rare and endangered plants, birds and animals, before heading back to Auckland for a planned arrival of 5pm. Cruise tickets are $79 for Adults, $39 for Children and $69 for Seniors.

Fullers Discovery Cruise 2 includes a tour of the Inner Gulf islands and will depart from Auckland at 10am on Sunday the 14th of March with guest commentary from Phil Brown, Biodiversity Manager, Department of Conservation. After a short cruise via Browns Island customers will be able to disembark on Motuihe for a 2 hour guided walk of the island with the Motuihe Trust where they will learn about as the historic sites as well as observe the wildlife and hear about recent kiwi releaseS. The cruise will then sail around the southern side of Waiheke Island, The Noises and Rakino Island with the opportunity to disembark at Motutapu. While there, they will be able to discover the secrets of this legendary island on a guided walk with the Motutapu Restoration Trust, after which the cruise will return to Auckland for a 5pm disembarkation. Cruise tickets are $59 for Adults, $29 for children and $49 for Seniors.

Fullers Discovery Cruise 3, showcasing the east area of the marine park, departs from Auckland at 9am on Sunday the 28th of March and cruises via the Southern side of Ponui, Pakihi, Rangipukea and Whanganui to Coromandel town. On arrival at Hannafords Wharf, Coromandel, a bus will transport customers off the cruise to the historic town for a leisurely walk. The cruise will then sail via seldom visited islands, including the secret Elephant Cove and onto Auckland via the northern side of The Noises, Rakino Island, and Rangitoto Island, arriving back to Auckland at 5pm. This cruise will be complimented with guest commentary by Mike Donoghue, Senior International Relations Adviser, Department of Conservation. Cruise tickets are $79 for Adults, $39 for children and $69 for Seniors.

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