Sea Gardening
at the Wharf Hub
Sea Gardening Voyages
At the Wharf Hub you are able to 'Voyage' from gaining a base understanding of Sea Gardening principles, right through to where you could conceivably facilitate the establishment your own local Community Reef.
But first things first.
An introduction to Sea Gardening Essentials is catered for under our land based short hour long talk presentation given in the grounds of the Wharf Hub. This tour runs on demand and availability. Phone or email us.
Our Sea Gardening Experience starts with the Essentials Tour then gets practical with you making a basic reef module. This module is donated and later deployed in the Opotiki Community Reef area. Follow up certificate including photo, sea plot deployment name and GPS location is issued (pdf).
Bookable via this site directly or through AirBnB Experiences.
If you are after a deeper backgrounding knowledge of sea gardening and want to attain that experience of oneness that astronauts term 'the overview effect', then the three day (two night) Reef Building retreat voyage is the one for you. Contact us.
Fortunately many of our Voyages are land based, which is great for those who are prone to feeling a tad queezy on the sea. Cancellations due to unsuitable weather conditionsare rare.
Attuned local charter boat operators fufill the sea based 'Future Oceans' exploration voyages where we undertake take an exploration of both the Opotiki Community Reef and Open Oceans Mussel Farm as examples of Sea Gardening in action. A spot of Fishing can be included.
Our focus in all our options, whether on land or sea, is to..."create a deeper connection with planet Ocean."
If you have booked a sea based voyage and sea conditions are not favorable on the day, then consider taking one of our shorter land based sea gardening voyages, add in a choice of local self discovery 'Ports of Call' unique explorations and create your own meaningful day.
This guided introduction to Sea Gardening is given at the Wharf Hub by Opotiki Community REAF Trustees and all koha (donations $40 pp, group discounts) go to the Trust for further research, development and education. It runs on demand.
We have become the ultimate hunters of marine life with our fancy lures, scuba, GPS undersea fish finders and more, but when do we give back?
Sea Gardening gives us that opportunity. Its practice connects us back in touch with our marine world, and our higher selves.
Expect your introduction to sea gardening to offer some thought provoking pieces of science, philosophy, Maori lore, and new era thinking.
The tour ends with an invitation for you to create a 'mauri stone' to be deployed along with other reef structures under construction.
Sea Gardening Essentials Tour
Sea Gardening Experience
Allow around 2 hours for this Sea Gardening Experience. Book directly through this web site site or via Air BnB Experiences. Suitable for 10 years olds up to 100 year olds.
The Experience starts with the Sea Gardening Essentials tours then gets practical with all materials supplied and you making a real marine enhancing reef module. Deployment, and certification with sea plot GPS follow up occurs at a later time.
Further information on sea gardening can be gleaned from our FaceBook page 'communityreef' and Opotiki Community REAF Trust web site at reaf.nz.
The module you make is donated to the community reef to help grow Opotiki community in health and wealth.
Reef Building
Indigenous Sea Gardens produced bountiful seafood for centuries by focussing on reciprocity and the common good.
See more at www.seagardens.net
Our guided 3 day land based workshop includes the introductory Sea Gardening tour, in depth Power Point presentation, reef module practical skill construction and deployment techniques, plus all equipment and materials needed, and an evening exploration voyage.
The 'Reef Building' retreat workshop aims to develop a certain mindset that can be caught through a number of experiences we outline on our Ports of Call pages, and by exploring our 'Blogs'.
Any equipment required such as mountain bikes, kayaks, fishing rods are also included in the fee.
Although this workshop can be found on other sites eg newzealand.com, the 3 day Reef Building intensive is best booked directly from this web site.
Future Oceans
Empower
Growth
The vision of farming the open ocean waters has long been with us. The reality is here, now.
Out in the ocean off Opotiki you can visit two unique sea gardening ventures currently underway.
The Opotiki Community Reef aimed at helping ensure a sustainable supply of healthy fish protein into the local Opotiki community is located just some 3km out from the new harbour entrance.
Further out again just off the horizon, about 12 km offshore, lies the expansive Open Ocean Mussel aquaculture farm, with a vision of helping feed the world.
Both ventures are founded in sustainable Maori tikanga ethics. Both are perhaps unique in the world. If you have your own boat, then you can explore these ventures yourself. The Opotiki Harbour has a two boat launching ramp, a beacon marked channel and a well defined Harbour entrance.
The web site www.reaf.nz has a free downloadable, printable guide to Opotiki fishing areas. Please reciprocate by Logging your catch on line afterwards to help with conservation efforts.
On the mussel farm you are free to tie up to any of the farm buoys and catch your dinner.
With legendary East Cape, White Island and Motohora Islands as backdrops, an exciting voyage on the sea is assured.
Currently Opotiki Fishing Charters skipper Mike Ruru 0272686190 is operating 2 Charter vessels. Boats trips operating out of Ohiwa and Whakatane are also available.