So, I went spotlighting last night, and here are photos, as promised

I stayed at a DOC camp on Puhi Puhi Road, and surveyed the nearby Clifford/Puhipuhi confluence: http://goo.gl/maps/3VE67

Arrived late and took a quick reconaissanse trip down to the stream as it was getting dark.

Within 2m of where I started looking, there was a FISH!

They were so easy to spot against that awful streamery algae. They had this funny idea that it was a good place to hide, but it made them stand out really clearly.

I am fairly sure they are Canterbury galaxias, aka common river galaxias aka Galaxias vulgaris, rather than koaro, because of distribution, size, and that the head is much less broad and pointed, jaw less undercut, and the markings less well-defined.

The range was around 60-100mm

Exciting! A new species for me

No other fish or crayfish seen but there were plenty of these guys.

(BTW, rubber dishwashing gloves are fantastic when playing in cold streams!)

Cool, they look a nice little fish.

awesome those are cool lookin lil guys

(BTW, rubber dishwashing gloves are fantastic when playing in cold streams!)

untill you get cold water down inside them

But it would soon warm up, kinda like a wetsuit.

But it would soon warm up, kinda like a wetsuit.

You know how to warm one of those up? :sml1:

Nice pics, need a southern koura pic for the books they are few and far between.

And ewwwwwww Blue!

You know how to warm one of those up? :sml1:

By getting a 2 piece open cell one for freediving and nearly passing out from the heat.

Nice photos...

Clever Kiwi fish... hiding in long algae... which is the opposite colour to them :facepalm:

Looking forward to the next photo set.

its probably foreign algae