Contents

COVER : Pioneer missionary naturalist Rev Richard Taylor described the tuatara as having a “fine benevolent eye”. Certainly, once seen, it is hard to forget this remarkable reptile, which has survived virtually unchanged for millions of years.
CONTENTS - Features :
THE BIG MECCANO SET [People have leapt off it, bungy-ed from it, flown under it and marched over it. It’s the Auckland Harbour Bridge - servant to120,000 city commuters each working day];
TAURANGA’S COASTAL BIRDS [the estuaries and shell banks of Tauranga Harbour are feeding and breeding grounds for dozens of coastal birds];
GREEN GOLD [It’s boom time for the West Coast’s spaghnum moss pickers as world demand for the lush water-holding plant increases];
EARTH, FIRE AND WATER [The Taupo Volcanic Zone boasts some of the world’s most impressive geothermal news. Above ground there are steaming fumaroles, boiling mud pools and spectacular geysers. Below the surface there’s an equally fascinating geophysical story to discover];
SLOW, SLIMY AND SURPRISING [Virtually under our noses are a thousand species of native land snails which most people have never noticed. That’s not entirely surprising - most are less than half a centimetre in diameter and live shy, reclusive news];
CONTENTS - Departments :
LETTERS; GEONEWS [The perfumed gods of Hauturu - a look at how the kakapo is faring on Little Barrier Island]; WEATHER [Winter’s gift - a howling southerly]; SPACE [Summer’s monstrous heralds]; COMING UP;