Adventures of Tarly the Turtle

19th April 2010

Tarly’s satellite transmitter has finally gone off the air, last transmission received on 19th April 2010. We are unlikely to ever know where her travels will take her, but we have been fortunate enough to share a fascinating 15 months window in her life tracking her movements. Tarly still carries two unique identifying flipper tags, with a bit of luck she may be identified one day laying eggs on a beach somewhere! We wish her a long and happy life and safe travels.

Summary of Tarly's travels from release on 29th January 2009 to 19th April 2010

28th March 2010

There has been little change since the last update, Tarly is heading in a Northerly direction but still remains in the same general area. It has been 424 days since her release off the coast of New Zealand and in that time Tarly has travelled 10503.8km with a constant speed of 25km/day.

24th March 2010

Tarly has come full circle and is now heading in a Northerly direction. It has been 420 days since her release off the coast of New Zealand and in that time Tarly has travelled 10421.2km with a constant speed of 25km/day.

16th March 2010

Tarly now appears to be heading in a Southerly direction but once again remains in the same general area. It has now been 412 days since her release off the coast of New Zealand. In that time Tarly has travelled 10302.5km with a constant speed of 25km/day.

8th March 2010

There has been little change since the last Tarly update, Tarly is heading in a Northerly direction but overall she remains in the same general area. It has now been 404 days since her release off the coast of New Zealand. In that time Tarly has travelled 10174km with a constant speed of 25km/day.

28th Feb 2010

Tarly is heading in a more Northerly direction but still remains in the same general area. It has now been 396 days since her release off the coast of New Zealand. In that time Tarly has travelled 10093km with a constant speed of 25km/day.

20th Feb 2010

Tarly has changed course and is now heading in a South Westerly direction. It has now been 388 days since her release off the coast of New Zealand. In that time Tarly has travelled 9995km with a constant speed of 26km/day.

12th Feb 2010

Once again Tarly has changed direction and is now heading in a Westerly direction, going back on the path that she has just created. It has now been 380 days since her release off the coast of New Zealand. In that time Tarly has travelled 9905km with a constant speed of 26km/day.

4th Feb 2010

Tarly has changed course slightly and is heading in a more South-Easterly direction with her overall trajectory towards South America. It has now been 372 days since Tarly's release and she has travelled a total of 9760kms in that time. Speed remains a constant 26km/day.

29th Jan 2010

A great milestone has been reached. We have now been tracking Tarly for a full year. Tarly has spent most of this year in the open ocean heading towards South America. Total distance travelled to date is 9630kms, with a current average speed of 26km/day.

21st JAN 2010

There has been very little change since the last update. Tarly is still heading in an Easterly direction at a speed of 27km/day. It has now been 356 days since we first started tracking her movements and in that time Tarly has travelled 9448km.

13th Jan 2010

Tarly is only two and a half weeks short of completing a full year of travel since her release off the coast of New Zealand. In that time she has covered a distance of 9246kms and is still heading in a generally Easterly direction towards South America with a slight inflection towards the North.

6th Jan 2010

In our 3 week absence over the festive season Tarly continued to move in an Easterly direction and has made very little variation to this course. Her speed remains a constant 27km/day and her total distance travelled to date is 9144kms.

23rd DEC 2009

Unfortunately for us all, Tarly's travels under our spotlight are nearing an end as the batteries on her satellite transmitters near exhaustion. She is equipped with two satellite transmitters, both of which give location data, the smaller unit programmed to transmit on alternate days and measures the depth to which she dives. The larger of the transmitters is programmed to transmit continuously and last gave a location on the 16th December 2009. The maps to date have all been created from the fine scale movements achieved by the larger transmitter’s locations. We do not expect to see any further data from this transmitter and will migrate in January 2010 to updating the maps using location data from the smaller transmitter. As of the last transmission received on the 16th December Tarly was 50km south east of her location on the 11th December below. An updated map will be viewable in early January 2010.

Brief summary of Tarly travels from release on 29th January 2009 to 16th December 2009.

11th Dec 2009

Tarly has once again changed her orientation and is now moving in an Easterly direction. Water temperatures remain around 14.5°C and Tarly seems very content to remain around 44°S as her speed continues to decrease and is now around 27km/day. Tarly has travelled 8694kms since her release in January 316 days ago.

3rd Dec 2009

Tarly is still content in heading in a definite Southerly direction and water temperatures continue to be warmer than we have in many months, at 14°C. We have also noticed that Tarly's daily movements have decreased greatly increasing the likelihood that she has found a warm up welling of water and therefore an abundance of food. It has now been 308 days since Tarly's release and in that time she has travelled 8409kms.

26th Nov 2009

For the first time since Tarly's release 300 days ago she has concentrated her movements in one area. This area has shown unusually high temperatures with the last reading being 15°C.  Therefore it is likely that Tarly has found an area of warm water upwelling and thus a rich food source hence her hesitation to leave the vicinity for the past 9 days. Total distance travelling has increased to 8162kms.

17^th Nov 2009

In the past 5 days Tarly has changed direction and is now heading in a South-Westerly direction however her over all orientation is still South. Water temperatures have warmed to 13°C and it has now been 292 days since her release. Total distance travelled is 8040km.

9^th Nov 2009

It has now been 10 months since Tarly's release and in that time she has travelled 7892km. As summer approaches and daylight hours get longer Tarly's natural instinct is to head South and she continues to do so. The speed at which Tarly is travelling remains at around 28km per day and water temperatures are a constant 12°C.

1^st Nov 2009

Tarly is still heading in a generally Easterly direction towards South America. Her movements are becoming even less predictable as she has completely back tracked on herself and completed a full circle. For the moment she is heading in a Southerly direction in waters of 12°C. Total distance covered is 7692 kms in 276 days.

This image gives a different perspective on Tarly's location in the Pacific Ocean.

24th October 2009

Tarly continues to move in a more or less Southerly direction with the consequence being that the water temperatures have once again decreased to 12°C. Total distance travelled to date is 7558 kms with speeds averaging around 28km per day.

16th October 2009

We have now been tracking Tarly's movements for over 9 months and in that time she has travelled 7385 kms in a mostly Easterly direction. Although over the past 9 days Tarly has been heading South. Water temperatures continue to increase to 13.5°C.

8th October 2009

For the past two weeks Tarly has been travelling in northerly direction. With this change in direction the water temperature has increased slightly to 13°C and in the 252 days, since her release, Tarly has covered a total distance of 6984km.

26th September 2009

Tarly has travelled 6800 kms from her release point and amazingly she is now approximately half way between New Zealand and South America. It has taken Tarly 240 days to travel this distance in waters that remain 12°C and at a speed of 28 km/day.

18th September 2009

Tarly has now covered a total distance of 6665km since her release 232 days ago. She has returned to her more predictable ways of moving in straight lines and is once again heading in a South-Easterly direction. Water temperatures remain around 12 °C and Tarly is maintaining a steady speed of 29km/day.

10th September 2009

In the 8 months since Tarly's release she has covered a total distance of 6485kms and is averaging 29km per day. Tarly continues to hover around 40°S with water temperatures having cooled slightly to 11.5°C.

2nd September 2009

Tarly's movements are becoming less predictable of late. She is drifting around the 40°S mark heading in many different directions but generally she maintains a South-Easterly course. It has been 215 days since Tarly's release and in that time she has covered 6319kms. Water temperatures remain 12°C however Tarly's speed has decreased even further to 29km/day.

25th August 2009

Tarly has started to double back on herself, forming what looks like a near circle and is now moving in a South-Westerly direction. Water temperatures remain a constant 12°C and in the 208 days since her release Tarly has travelled 6297km. Therefore her speed is decreasing to average 30km per day.

17th August 2009

Tarly has not changed course and continues to travel East in waters that remain 12°C. In 200 days, Tarly has travelled a total of 6169 kms but has reduced her daily distance travelled to 31kms.

9th August 2009

Tarly continues to travel in an Easterly direction in waters of around 12°C. It is now 191 days since her release, off the coast of New Zealand, and in that time Tarly has covered a distance of 6113km and is averaging 32km per day.

1st August 2009

Tarly has once again changed direction and is travelling East in waters of 12°C. Total distance travelled is 5905kms in 184 days therefore Tarly is covering a distance of 32kms per day. She is now approx 3966km East of the Hawke's Bay coastline.

27th July 2009

Since our last update, Tarly has started moving in a more North-Easterly direction. It has been 179 days since her release and in that time Tarly has travelled 5790kms, averaging 32kms per day. Water temperatures have warmed slightly to 12°C.

16th July 2009

It has been 6 months since Tarly's release off the coast of New Zealand. Tarly continues travelling in an Easterly direction, with water temperatures of 11.5°C. The total distance travelled is 5478kms therefore she is averaging 33km per day.

8th July 2009

Tarly has spent the past 5 days travelling in an Easterly direction in waters of 11.5°C. It has been 160 days since her release in the Poor Knight's Islands and in that time she has travelled 5221kms, averaging a distance of 33km/day.

30th June 2009

Tarly has changed course once again and is now heading in a more North-Easterly direction. The total distance travelled by Tarly since her release, 152 days ago, is 5038 kms. That is an average of 33 kms/day in waters that are 11.5°C.

22nd June 2009

For the past two weeks Tarly has been heading North and is now approx 3394km east off the Kaikoura coastline, at a latitude marginally south of Kaikoura Township. Tarly has travelled 4877km since her release 144 days ago, with distance travelled per day dropping to 34km/day. The water temperatures remains a chilly 10.5°C.

14th June 2009

Tarly has completely changed course and is now heading North. Water temperatures remain a cool 10.5°C and in the 136 days since her release, Tarly has travelled 4780kms. Distance travelled daily is a constant 35kms/day.

6th June 2009

Since the last update, Tarly continues in an Easterly direction in waters with a slightly warmer temperature of 11°C. It has now been 128 days since Tarly was released and in that time she has travelled a total of 4567kms. The distance travelled per day also continues to decrease and is now 35km/day.

29th May 2009

Tarly is still travelling in an easterly direction with water temperatures having dropped to 10°C. In the 120 days since her release she has travelled a total distance of 4342.9km, the average daily distance travelled continues to drop to 36km/day.

20th May 2009

Tarly continues to her track in a mostly easterly direction hovering around the 45 degree south mark. Water temperatures remain at 11.5°C. In the 111 days since her release she has travelled a total distance of 4148km, the average daily distance now dropping to 37km/day.

13th May 2009

Tarly continues to move east but her track is slightly more waivering now, currently the most southerly she has been on this journey with water temperatures now at 11.5°C. In the 104 days since her release she has travelled a total distance of 3980km, the average daily distance now dropping to 38km/day.

Click on map to enlarge.

5th May 2009

Tarly is moving east with water temperatures now at 12°C. In the 96 days since her release she has travelled a total distance of 3809km, still averaging 40km/day.

Click on map to enlarge.

27th April 2009

In the last few days Tarly has started moving north east with temperatures now 11.5°C. In the 88 days since her release she has travelled a total distance of 3535km, an average of 40km/day.

Click on map to enlarge.

19th April 2009

Tarly continues to move south east with water temperatures now at 14°C. She is currently 2420km directly east of the Oomaru. In the 80 days since her release she has travelled a total distance of 3203km, an average of 40km/day. Map updates will now take place on a weekly basis.

Click on map to enlarge.

15th April 2009

After a few days of heading north east, Tarly has changed back to her south east habits of the past few weeks and has entered water temperatures of 13.5°C. She is currently 2300km directly east at a midway point between the Timaru and Oomaru coastline and maintaining an average 41km per day since her release. In the 76 days since her release she has travelled a total distance of 3091km.

Click on map to enlarge.

11th April 2009

Since the last update Tarly continued moving south east for 72 hours before hitting water temperatures of 14°C and for the next 24 hours finally changed her direction to the north east. She is currently 2180km directly east of the Timaru coastline and maintaining an average 41km per day since her release. In the 72 days since her release she has travelled a total distance of 2934km.

Click on map to enlarge.

7th April 2009

Tarly continues to move south east with water temperatures remaining at 15°C. She is currently 2080km directly east of the Timaru coastline and maintaining an average 41km per day since her release. In the 68 days since her release she has travelled a total distance of 2793km.

Click on map to enlarge.

3rd April 2009

Tarly continues to move south east with water temperatures dropping to 15°C. She is currently 1830km directly east of the eastern point of the Akaroa peninsula and averaging 41km per day since her release. In the 64 days since her release she has travelled a total distance of 2633km.

Click on map to enlarge.

30th March 2009

Tarly continues to move south east with water temperatures dropping to 15.5°C. She is now 1700km directly east from Christchurch and averageing 41km per day since her release. In the 60 days since her release she has travelled a total distance of 2452km.

Click on map to enlarge.

27th March 2009

Tarly continues to move south east with water temperatures dropping to 16°C. She is now 1500km east of the Kaikoura coastline and maintaining the average 40km per day since her release. In the two months since her release she has travelled a total distance of 2259km.

Click on map to enlarge.

22nd March 2009

Tarly continues to move south east with water temps remaining at 17.5°C. She is now approx 1350km east of the Kaikoura coastline and averaged 40km per day since her release 52 days ago.

Click on map to enlarge.

18th March 2009

Tarly continues to move south east with water temps dropping to 17.5°C. She is now approx 1050km east off the Wairarapa coastline, at a latitude marginally south of Masterton.

Click on map to enlarge.

14th March 2009

Tarly continues to move south east with water temps dropping to 18.5°C. She is now approx 870km east off the Hawkes Bay coast

Click on map to enlarge.

11th March 2009

Tarly seems pretty focused and determinded to continue on a track south east. She is approx 740km directly east of Napier in 20°C water and averaging 38.5km per day.

Click on map to enlarge.

9th March 2009

Tarly continues to head south east and currently in water temperatures around 20.5°C. She is situated 560km due east of Gisborne.

Click on map to enlarge.

3rd March 2009

Tarly has picked up the pace in the last four days, changing direction to the south east and travelled a distance of 135km since the big rest of last week.

Click on map to enlarge.

27th FEBRUARY 2009

Tarly is still on the move east, although she seems to have hit some calm flat waters and taking a well deserved rest

Click on map to enlarge.

24th February 2009

As of 20h00 on Sunday 22nd February, Tarly was approximately 256km east of the the northern point of the East Cape of New Zealand and still heading due east in 20.5°C water. Since being released she has travelled an average of 41km per day.

Click on map to enlarge.

17th February 2009

As of 17th February Tarly was located approx 150km east of the northern tip of the east cape of New Zealand and moving east. Since moving into the waters off the east cape, the water temperature has dropped from temperate 22°C to a chilly 18°C.

Click on map to enlarge.

12th February 2009

Tarly has now swum a total distance of over 450km since being released. As of 19h48 on Tuesday 10th February she was 18km off the coast between Whakatane and Ohope and moving east.

Click on map to enlarge.

9th February 2009

Tarly continues to head south and is now close to Mayor Island, off the coast between Tauranga and Whangamata.

Click on map to enlarge.

4th February 2009

3rd February 2009