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Underwater cameraman Steve Hathaway and his daughter Riley, creators of the Young Ocean Explorers series, are on a mission to tell the stories of our marine creatures and local fans can hear from them in person at Orewa library next week.
The series began four years ago, when Riley was 12 years old, and has taken the pair from their home in Snells Beach around the world to film sea creatures great and small. Stories from their latest trip, to Great Barrier Reef, will be shared at the library on July 12.
It was the issue of plastic rubbish, ingested by turtles, that first got Riley interested in sea creatures and she says that remains her main focus. “Even at my school, Mahurangi College, I see plastic all over the ground when we live so close to so many amazing beaches,” Riley says. “I want to make people aware of the effects on our marine creatures and the environment.”
She says a highlight of making films with her father so far has been visiting the Kermadecs in 2015. “It was magical – tropical and with NZ fish and heaps of sharks everywhere you looked, including a rare sighting of the white tipped reef shark,” she says.
Steve says that New Zealand’s underwater life is both under-reported and underrated – something he hopes his films will address. “NZ has not been documented properly underwater,” he says. “We have a lot of pride in our land flora and fauna and yet just on our doorstep we have this realm and magnificent creatures that are unique to NZ. As Kiwis, we have a love affair with the sea, but haven’t yet brought marine life into our story. I want to tell those stories because they’re uniquely ours. The more people connect with and understand the marine environment, the better, because it needs looking after to give it a better future. There is no shortage of stories – it’s just telling them in the most creative and engaging way possible.”
Currently Steve is working with Greenstone TV on an interactive website designed to help teachers and young people learn more about marine science. It goes live in September.
Steve and Riley Hathaway will speak at Orewa Library, Moana Ave, Orewa on Wednesday, July 12, 2.30pm–3.30pm. Entry is free. They will have free posters of the Hauraki Gulf which “come to life”, unlocking videos, when you download an app and hold the device over the poster.
