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Here at Seafriends we believe that we can make a difference to the future of New Zealand's seas. In 1990 it was decided to build a centre that would earn enough to pay its way. Hence the combination with a restaurant. But finance was not available. None of New Zealand's banks wanted to fund even as little as $10,000! So we used our pension savings to convert the existing woolshed (a disused shearing shed). In December 1992 we opened under difficult circumstances. The next two years much more had to be built and improved upon. After that we could concentrate on the diving gear and curriculum needed to take schools from Standard 3 to Form 7 into the sea. In 1996 we embarked on an ambitious project to document the marine habitats of our country, which will be on-going. Then an Internet site with information about our seas, a Seafriends network of people, a charitable foundation and finally political action. Where could you fit in? Let us know!

We see the process of saving our seas as a succession of steps, each of which challenging our present way of thinking. We must recognise that NZ's problems need to be solved with NZ solutions. First we need to acknowledge that we have problems that are getting worse at a disastrous rate. Then we need to know how these manifest themselves and what the underlying causes are. In the process we need to become familiar with the many creatures in our seas, many being unique to our little patch of the world, and what protection they need. Finally we may embark on an sustainable ecological solution that may take our country confidently into the 21st century and beyond, a vision that may be the envy of other nations.

The coastal fringe around our country, often no more than 50 metres wide, houses the highest diversity of species, most of which are unique. This coastal fringe is under direct threat, from north to south and east to west but more so near large human settlements. Overfishing is an obvious problem. Less obvious, where humans live, waste water causes major problems. Even after complete treatment, it poisons directly and induces severe plankton blooms in the coastal seas. Being unable to recycle our wastes adequately, we also seem indifferent to our precious land resources being wasted only to destroy our precious coastal resources. Elsewhere the water run-off from farms washes silt and nutrients into the sea, which suffocates all sea creatures. This combined effect causes animals and plants to disappear, possibly forever. It also makes the sea dirty and unpleasant. Ironically we seem to look helplessly at this double destruction: while our precious soils drain into the sea, it also kills our precious sea life, and it erodes our beaches. What makes the coastal fringe so vulnerable is that for every square metre of it, there are 10,000 to 100,000 square metres of land capable of destroying it. We must learn to become more cautious in the way we manage our soils.

Clearly, saving our seas won't be an easy task. But you can still help. Simply by doing business with us, you contribute. Tell others about us. Let schools visit us. Read more about the sea. Follow the progress we are making. Give a donation, or better still, your time. Put us in touch with the right people. And so on. Eventually our children will judge us by what we've accomplished!
 

• Relax and enjoy its pleasant atmosphere, out of the rain or wind, the chill or heat. Have a coffee and cake and make use of our Marine Nature Library. Study the many educational posters that treat concerns about our marine environment.
• Visit our unique ecosystem Seawater Aquarium and discover over 100 species of life found on the shores around our coasts. Observe at close quarters the Mangroves and their tiny mudcrabs; the Tidal Flats with their camouflaged hidden inhabitants; the swift Deep Estuary fishes; the fragile Sheltered Reef community; the sturdy seaweeds and fishes of our Exposed Reefs; the fairyland coloured sponges and anemones of our Deep Reefs. It is fascinating.
• If you have just come from the beach, make use of our toilets and showers and feel fresh again. If going to the beach and you need masks or snorkels, fins, tanks or wetsuits, rent them from us - for full or half day use. We also fill dive tanks with our Bauer air compressor.
• For a really super thrill, come and dive with experts. We take small parties out for dives in the Goat Island Marine Reserve where marine life has been left undisturbed for over 20 years.
• Before you leave, no need to starve. Tasty meals, large or small, are ready for you. Enjoy our cooking reputation for lunches and dinners. We are now BYO as well as fully licensed so no need to go thirsty either. If you are in a party or large family, try our marvellous group meals where you cook at your table. Group discounts give terrific value. Give us a ring when you want to come and join us. Try our great coffees.

If you make your booking by telephone (09 422 6212), we will have your table ready. Table-cooking group meals should be ordered in advance. Don't forget to tell us what you are celebrating .. you'll never know.

Seafriends - School programmes The Seafriends school programme grew a little at a time and is still growing. This Internet site bears testimony to what it has achieved so far. But when we started the education centre in 1993, we had even little idea of where to begin. The public knows so little of our marine environment, that parents often know little more than their school-going chidren. Eventually a theme emerged, that of opening windows to our sea. We do so by:

• Talks and lectures (since 1993)
• Aquariums which show the living creatures and the kind of seascape they live in (since 1993)
• Movies and videos (since 1993)
• A library, books, magazines and posters (since 1993, and growing)
• Guided snorkel dives for schools (since 1993 but for primary schools since 1996)
• Dive Hire, to enable families to go out by themselves (since 1993)
• Shore studies (since 1994)
• Pamphlets and information about the reserve (since 1995)
• Pictures, photos and postcards (since 1996)
• School resource kits (since 1998)
• Internet (since 1997)
• Writing articles and publishing books (growing)