14/04/2026
POV: you’re an undercover camera on a Taranaki reef… 👀
This is what Project Reef Life - South Taranaki's underwater “spy camera” sees when no one’s watching.
📍 Deployed 11km offshore at 25m depth, this in-situ system quietly records reef life day and night off the South Taranaki coast.
Here’s a selection of some of our favourite moments, from curious fish to nocturnal hunters, and the occasional… suspicious visitor 🐙
Footage like this, collected over nearly a decade, is helping us build a clearer picture of how these reefs function, from daily rhythms to long-term changes beneath the surface.
🔎 If you’re curious to see the tech up close, we currently have our V1 “spy cam” work on display at Puke Ariki Museum, Level 2.
As always, a massive thanks to South Taranaki Coastguard for your watch as we undertake these deployments offshore.
