While out this morning checking a bait line at Shoal estuary it was a chance to meet up with teachers and students from Hauraki school. With the help of very informative Auckland Councils sustainable schools' staff and the RTH team they were busy learning about water quality and how to test some of the ephemeral streams that flow into shoal estuary mainly after heavy rain.
It was disturbing to hear that they originally were to test a stream at Northboro Reserve, but the water quality was not deemed safe enough for the students to be involved.
This is indicative of the sad state of the quality of the water that enters through poorly maintained outfall pipes into our local estuaries. This all adds to degradation of water quality in the Hauraki Gulf.