National Aquarium of New Zealand

Posted by Lyn Rasmussen Aug 23, 2009

I have always loved the water. Lakes and rivers are beautiful but my first love is the sea. As soon as that salty tang hits my nostrils a feeling of wellbeing washes over me and there is nothing I like better than to sit and watch the waves, the stormier the better.

On our recent trip to Napier in New Zealand's Hawke's Bay, we spent a couple of hours at the National Aquarium of New Zealand. I was enthralled by the fossilised remains of the dinosaurs that once roamed the primeval swamps of Aoteaora (New Zealand). I had already read 'Valley of the Dragons', the late Joan Wiffen's account of how she unearthed the first evidence that dinosaurs once existed in New Zealand. Joan Wiffen is a tremendous example of bravery and commitment. A self-taught scientist who never finished high school, her dogged efforts and rigorous research over many years revealed our prehistory. I was very moved by the reconstruction of Wiffen's tiny workshop and the tools she devised and used to painstakingly gather her evidence.

My other favourite was the walk through the oceanarium where sharks, stingrays and many other marine species glided and swooped over and around us. I believe that we are all related in this world and that each of us has our place. I wish that I could move as gracefully underwater as my aquatic cousins - somehow I doubt that they have any desire to move clumsily through the atmosphere on two sturdy legs like mine.