Wellington Down Under takes you on a voyage of discovery around the Wellington harbour and bays – a journey few people will ever experience – to the magic and colourful world that lives in all its splendid beneath the water. Stephen Journée, a skilled diver and photographer, gives a rare insight into the world below and brings to life all the fish varieties and other forms of marine life that have made the Wellington harbour and the surrounding coastal bays their home over the centuries.
From the unbelievable colour of the sea sponges, sea squirts, jewel anemones, blue and read moki, triplefin's, seahorses, jellyfish, to schools of jack mackerels and spotties, to dolphins and the occasional visit by pods of orcas, all feature between these covers. Stephen also takes the reader on a tour of famous shipwrecks of the 19th and 20th centuries, a look back in time and what remains from past tragedies; wharves and slipways from yester-year.
Stephen Journée grew up by the beach in Christchurch and has loved the marine environment ever since. After moving to Wellington and starting a scuba diving business, he spent a lot of his time underwater. Stephen is passionate about the protection of the marine environment and raising awareness of the impact people can have on it. This book has been produced to show people that even in an urban harbour, there is an abundance of life. We are all responsible for its protection.