Some field techniques used in a study of Tauranga Harbour.

A summary of the main field methods of research used in a sedimentological study of part of Tauranga Harbour is presented. The research concentrated on the tidal inlet which is the entrance to the Port of Tauranga. SCUBA divers have carried out direct observations of the sea bed and installed various monitoring devices. Sediment sampling programmes posed problems which were largely overcome by using a dredge-type sampler. Tidal currents in the boundary layer were measured one metre above the harbour floor at a number of monitoring stations. Direct measurements of sediment discharge have been made with various devices which trap mobile sediment. Studies of tidal bedforms of both ripple and megaripple scale have been carried out. These investigations have provided a picture of sediment transport processes and patterns near the entrance to the Port of Tauranga