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Ministry of Education

Education Gazette article

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We're excited for the TamateaLEARNZ virtual fieldtrip to be featured in the Education Gazette to reach and inspire more teachers and their students to connect with the places they call home and act to look after them...

 

North&South article

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Our 2nd

TamateaLEARNZ fieldtrip is live & FREE for anyone

Kaitiakitanga / Guardianship

It’s all about connecting the next generation to the Tamatea vision for full ecosystem restoration and to turn Tamatea/Dusky Sound into a biobank for the rest of the country. We know that nothing we do matters if the young humans of today don’t connect and act.

Schools can run it in their classrooms and any family can join us from their homes!!!!

There is also a link to the NZ Geographic virtual reality project we ran a few years ago for anyone who is interested to virtually shower under waterfalls and go kayaking or diving..

 

Join the fieldtrip here...

Hopefully inspiring the next generation to get involved, do their bit and dream up more tools on our way to ecosystem restoration...

Art News Aotearoa

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A lovely anD unexpected article in the Herald by Steven Joyce...

And in case you don't have a subscription to the Herald.pdf

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PUre Salt features in the latest issue of New Zealand Geographic

We had the pleasure of hosting Nic Low onboard Flightless back in February 2023 as we went about our regular rebait of traps on some of Dusky Sounds islands (including Indian Island/ Mamaku). It was nice to get a mention in what is a very interesting read "The true story of the lost tribe of Fiordland".

A FANTASTIC FEATURE IN SHEPARDESS

We had the pleasure of having Fran onboard for Shepardess on one of our adventures and really enjoy seeing just how different each and every client experiences this piece of paradise... thank you for sharing yourselves!

Full article link

If you feel like reading the full article feel free to jump on the link below which will take you to the Shepardess website...

Original work

NZ$ 9,500

Size |  900cm x 900cm    

Media |  Acrylic on canvas    

Make it mine

Greer Claytons latest piece for TamateaART

Find out more about TamateaART....

A stunning adventure with the Hunters Club.. flat seas, helicopter flights to the tops, tuna, Auroras and wonderful people...

So if you have SKY you can have it look at it anytime and otherwise it will be available on demand down the line..

We're just one piece of the puzzle and grateful for the beautiful people we get to work with!

Read the article...

We've had the privilege of a four page spread in the

SKIPPERS magazine

including the COVER... which is terribly exciting!!!

So not that I like hearing my own voice but here goes a podcast I was asked to be a guest of... however if it just inspires one woman out there it's worth the cringe.. smile.. LISTEN HERE

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a bit of something personal

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An epic refit with epic people!

We proudly featured in the 6 o'clock NEWS

Running Pure Salt as a social enterprise we're excited to think that it might inspire others to integrate meaningful giveback into their businesses. If you're looking at how to do that feel free to give us a call at any point to get the ball rolling...

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Go to watch the piece...

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SouthSeasSpearo logo

South Seas Spearo epsiode in Fiordland with us... looking for mainland Hapuka..

Tune in this Sunday for a slightly crazy SSS episode.. we had the pleasure to have the team onboard in July on the hunt for the elusive mainland Hapuka.. something we found without trouble in a marine reserve but something that proved harder elsewhere.. with plenty of hilarity along the way!

Sunday the 26th of October on DUKE

gyotakupuka

TamateaART project Featuring an Art Auction 25th - 31st of October

GYOTAKU HAPUKA by Tim Li - for TamateaBLUE

A massive THANKS to the South Seas Spearo TEAM for educating around and looking after the waters they play in!!!

This special piece was conceived in Fiordland to protect Fiordland.. it is framed - 610 x 920mm

Visiting Fiordland onboard Flightless earlier this year the SSS team shared their passion for the place and Hapuka with artist Tim Li who generously shared his creativity to help give back to the place.

So by bidding for this unique Gyotaku Hapuka print by Tim Li ART you'll support Pure Salt's TamateaBLUE project...

...looking after what is beneath the surface of Fiordland's reflection in terms of biosecurity, sustainable fishery, full utilisation as well as underwater clean ups.. all proceeds from the auction will go towards our next TamateaBLUE adventure in 2022.

Gyotaku is a traditional printmaking practice originating in Japan in the early 1800s as a way of documenting fish species and size before the invention of the modern day camera.

Non toxic carbon based ink is brushed over the fish using hake brushes made from goat hair. Traditional washi (paper) or cotton are then layed over the fish then rubbed and an impression is created. The eyes and small tonal details are added with a brush to finish the work which becomes uniquely original in it’s own right.

The fish can then be washed off and cleaned in preparation for eating, extending the full utilisation of the fish into art.

It was a true pleasure to have Tim Li and the SSS team onboard again... we are proud to be able to share his framed Gyotaku print to support the TamateaBLUE project..

Have a look at www.puresalt.co.nz/conservation to see where proceeds go as well as what else Tim Li has contributed so far.. or keep scrolling down to learn more about the TamateaART project..

Go to TRADEME auction

Find out more about TamateaART

TamateaBLUE 2021

 

Together with our crew, GhostDiving NZ, SCUBA and free divers volunteering to clean up in Cascade Cove in Tamatea / Dusky Sound.. our third big clean up to date..

 

...mostly legacy rubbish ranging from old beer bottles, old washing machines, gumboots, over 40 car batteries, heaps of tyres, to the kitchen sink.. in amongst black corals, electric Rays, seven gill sharks and everything else from butterfly perch to hagfish!

 

Thank you to Ghost Diving NZ for being part of the mission all the way, every year, our MAD volunteers Jules, Matt and Nick paying to come along to help us cover helicopter costs, our crew Anna Shanks, Bradley Lawson, Ingrid Kregting and Sean Ellis for volunteering alongside Shackelton, Courteney Bevan, Zachary Penman, Dave Shaw and Kina for documenting it, Dwane Herbert from South Seas Spearo also representing commercial fishery by bringing his crew and the Southern Leader around to help out, Ross McFaul from Meister Solutions for providing his crane for unloading and Dan Butterfield and KIWI SKIPS for taking the rubbish away free of charge.. what a team! AND the dates for July next year are already penciled in with plenty more corners of Fiordland to be looked after.Get in touch if you want to be involved in the next TamateaBLUE adventure or want to contribute in other ways.

We featured on South Seas Spearo, Duke TV, 8.30pm Sunday the 17th of October

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SouthSeasSpearo logo

Tamatea/Dusky Sound, in the southwestern corner of Fiordland National Park, contains a magnificent archipelago of over 700 islands. It has a fascinating history, both Maori and European, but best known for being the place where Captain Cook and the Resolution crew spent six weeks in 1773. Arguably, it is the conservation story that is its most compelling and enduring, for this is where nature conservation began in New Zealand over 120 years ago, and where much of our ground-breaking work in predator control and species conservation has taken place over the last 50 years. Today, the greater Tamatea/Dusky Sound is the focus of one of the most significant and ambitious conservation and restoration projects in the world, as populations of such birds as kakapo, kiwi, and tieke/saddleback are protected and re-established.Tamatea/Dusky journeys through today’s extensive restoration efforts, from the many islands to the mainland and mountains, while charting the extraordinary episodes of human endeavour that have taken place over the last 250 years in this remote, yet spectacular, corner of the New Zealand wilderness.

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Tamatea Dusky - The remarkable story of Fiordland's Dusky Sound

by

wonderful human and good friend..

Peta Carey

$70

Buy a copy of the book

Pure Salt - LearNZ  -  Department of Conservation

creating a

Virtual Fieldtrip into Tamatea Dusky Sound

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Congratulations Aaliyah and Yeshaya

JOINing Expedition Fiordland LIVE

Aaliyah and Yeshaya are the two lucky kids joining us onboard Flightless with their guardians from the 14th - 19th of September 2020 after entering our competition with a video around why they care about their local ecosystem and how they help look after what they care about.  The choice was incredibly tough and the winners were chosen by panel decision between the LEARNZ team, the Department of Conservation and Pure Salt.

As every one of them is now part of the Tamatea vision GoodNature has agreed to sponsor one A24 GoodNature trap for Long Island in Tamatea Dusky Sound for every entry made. So every child contributed not just passion, time and care but a trap on the ground as part of a LEARNZ trap line helping us towards the overall vision! Thank you, keep up the wonderful spirit and we hope to see you as part of the virtual field trip!

Have a look at INSTAGRAM #conservationheroes2020 to see all the wonderful entries

 

Thank you to everyone for your wonderful passion and for not just caring about but wanting to make a difference in your backyard. Simply by entering the competition you've made a difference to Tamatea Dusky Sound as GoodNature agreed to sponsor one A24 for Long Island for every entry. THANK YOU!

 

Congratulations Aaliyah and Yeshaya!!! We look forward to meeting you soon!

Being shared on TV THREE with THE PROJECT on the 13th of October 2020 at 1900 or on demand any time after that..

OUR FIRST ADVENTURE WITH the Hunters club FEATURES IN THE BOOK... 'OFF THE BEATEN TRACK'

GET YOUR COPY

Nicky Sinden and TRADEZONE ADDICTED TO FISHING

Nicky, her family and friends joined us onboard Flightless in winter for their Fiordland adventure which screened on PRIME TV in August 2020.. Have a look at the trailer below and let us know what you think..  

Boys oh Boys..

A Fiordland Adventure.. it means something different for everybody joining us...

...be it hunting, kayaking, potography, fishing, free diving, paddleboarding, spearfishing, history, SCUBA diving, wildlife, conservation, walking, indulging in fresh seafood or simply relaxing in the hot tub......these boys reminded us to never judge a book by it's cover or a group of boys by the beverage they choose to drink when loading a helicopter ready for a six night adventure in Fiordland......what a pleasure to have you guys onboard with us! Thank you James Grant for organising such a good bunch of mates and thank you Shaun from Lemon Tree Film House for truely being part of the adventure.. We're already looking forward to having you all back as well as reading your story in the Rod&Rifle!

 

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We had the pleasure of having TOA and his crew onboard with us not so long ago and excited to see their Fiordland Adventure on TV in May 2020. Seán and Toa had an awesome time together out playing.. In case you've missed it you can still watch it online.. enjoy!

 

A team of conservationists and divers has undertaken a mammoth marine clean up in one of the most untouched parts of New Zealand.

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Thank you to DISH! for featuring a very special Tamatea Adventure...

Thank you is not enough for this special bunch.. Fleurs Place and Rata - Josh Emett, Tim Wilson Gallery, Sarah Tuck from dish Magazine, Russell Varcoe, Anna Shanks, Bradley Lawson, Chris Smith, Otago Polytechnic, Peta Carey, Rebecca Jackson, Sandy Tully, Hayden Parsons, Sam Goodnature, Department of Conservation, Seán Ellis& Maria Kuster. We can't wait to see what we can do together!

What a stunning few days with beautifully giving people in the middle of paradise.. working together to restore Tamatea - Dusky Sound to one of the most intact ecosystems on earth.. a large scale vision that will need large scale support.200 A24 GoodNature traps on Indian Island in just eight months and we're about to take on neighbouring Long Island.. every trap, donation and volunteer effort counts.. protecting kiwi, kakariki, bellbirds, tomtits, robin, fantails, kaka and more.. Get in touch to get involved.

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Pure Salt - LearNZ  -  Department of Conservation

creating a

Virtual Fieldtrip into Tamatea Dusky Sound

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Kids will get to learn about the wild and remote Fiordland coast, a place so geographically isolated, it is one of the least modified parts of mainland New Zealand. That place is Tamatea / Dusky Sound. It has a long and fascinating history: long ago Māori hunted and fished in the area and Captain Cook landed there in 1773; New Zealand's first conservation reserve was set up here in the late 18th century by our first conservation ranger, Richard Henry.Not far from where you live will be a natural ecosystem. Is it a forest ecosystem, a grassland ecosystem or a marine ecosystem? You are also part of a human ecosystem: is yours a rural or urban ecosystem? Every ecosystem has living parts like plants and animals and nonliving parts such as weather, earth, water, sun, soil, climate and atmosphere.On this field trip you will join a group working hard to help turn Tamatea / Dusky Sound into one of the most intact ecosystems on Earth. At the same time, you will help create a 'bio bank', a source of endangered native species that can be sent to pest free locations throughout New Zealand.Your adventure in the deep south will give you ideas on how you might work to restore an ecosystem near your place.

We are excited to work with LearNZ and Department of Conservation to bring the Tamatea Dusky Sound Restoration Project into New Zealand classrooms to inspire kids to look after what they call home.

We'll also be running a competition for two kids and their guardians to join us onboard for this special fieldtrip. So keep in touch if that thought excites you.

 

WIN YOUR spot to join us LIVE onboard 14th - 19th of September 2020

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We had the pleasure of

Nicky Sinden from Tardezone addicted to Fishing

joining us...

A big shout out to James for capturing one of our charters the way he saw it...

It's a pleasure to share this piece of paradise with everybody who joins us and we can honestly say that every adventure is as different as the mix of beautiful humans who steps onboard M.V. Flightless.. it's one of the reasons that keep us buzzing and it's wonderful to see it captured through someone else's eyes..

We're greatful for a beautiful article in the Christmas issue of life&Leisure Magazine

Giving back to Fiordland

The TAMATEA project

Imagine if Fiordland could be restored to the richness in bird and wildlife the early Maori or Captain Cook got to experience.. Imagine Dusky Sound to be one of the most intact ecosystems on Earth, and New Zealand's largest ‘bio bank’ – a source of endangered native species that can be sent to pest free locations throughout the country.

We've started a collaboration with the Department of Conservation to take on rat control on Indian Island. We've committed to installing a trap per trip, ongoing maintenance as well as running conservation adventures with 100% of profit going towards the project.

The first trip was run in October.. 40 out of 200 GoodNature traps are on the ground, around 5km of tracks are cut, six tracking tunnel lines set and run.. In late December 15 volunteers will live aboard Flightless whilst working towards cutting the remaining tracks.

A beautiful Collaboration

Cuisine Magazine, Food legend Fleur Sullivan, Otago Polytechnic and Pure Salt NZ

The Red Stag Timber Hunters Club

This walkthrough video was taken onboard M.V. Flightless with the Red Stag Timber Hunters Club who were busy enjoying Breaksea and Dusky Sound to film an episode for their 2017 season for SKY Sports which will be going international in 2020!

So have a look at this little clip to get an idea of the feel, external layout and space onboard to see if it's for you. Just keep in mind that we don't normally only have boys onboard. We'll be working on recreating the walkthrough with one of our mixed groups, families and of course the girls!

Testimonials...

beautiful people we had the pleasure to create memories with..

www.sika-show.co.nz

Thank you..

We look forward to having you onboard with us.

This platter of succulent, smoked fish is usually thrown away... Back in March I had the privilege to spend 4-nights aboard MV Flightless in Dusky Sound, Fiordland with the crew from Pure Salt. I expected sensational scenery, wildlife encounters and a great adventure. I wasn't disappointed.

But what I didn't expect was to find a company that is the very embodiment of regenerative tourism, and which is operating under the radar, delivering tangible benefits to the environment without any fuss or the blatant greenwashing which we've all become accustomed to from the corporate world.

Owners Seán Ellis and Maria Kuster operate Pure Salt much like a social enterprise, ploughing profits back into their conservation projects in Fiordland. They encourage and inspire their guests to get involved with hands-on and impactful conservation work and actively support the Department of Conservation (DOC) and other conservation groups in Fiordland.

Pure Salt offers sustainable employment opportunities to an incredible crew of passionate staff (actually, some of the very best staff I've encountered in the NZ tourism sector), and everything onboard MV Flightless is geared to low impact, sustainable tourism... Which brings me in a convoluted way back to that fish...

Nothing onboard MV Flightless is wasted. This incredible platter of smoked hāpuku (groper) comprised of the fish frames, wings and other off cuts which would usually be tossed overboard, and even the fish heads were used to make stock. Truly every ounce of the fish was used, from nose to tail...

Sean, Maria and their like-minded crew have a philosophy towards tourism which much of the industry would do well to research and embrace.

Nose to tail - Geoff Marks

STONEY CREEK