Scientists get rewards on Kermadec fish expedition

The zebra lionfish was found 1000km north of the North Island. Photo / Malcolm Francis

A species of fish has been discovered for the first time in New Zealand waters that are so remote their exploration has been likened to "journeying back in time".

The zebra lionfish - or Dendrochirus zebra - was found by a team of researchers who travelled for two days to reach the Kermadec Islands, 1000km northeast of the North Island.

The Auckland Museum-led team of 15 left Tauranga on a three-week expedition last Monday hoping to identify new species in one of the world's most pristine marine environments.

The team has also recorded what it believes are three species of gobies - tiny fish only a couple of centimetres long. There had previously been only one record of the fish around the Kermadecs.

"The remoteness and isolation of the Kermadecs mean only a fraction of information has been collected about its marine life," Auckland Museum marine curator Tom Trnski said before leaving on the trip.

"The species have been left to their own devices without intrusion from humans. It's like a journey back in time."

Videos, photos and blog entries are being sent back to the mainland via a maritime broadband unit.

The 13 volcanic islands and islets of the Kermadec region are located between the North Island and Tonga, within New Zealand's Exclusive Economic Zone.

The Kermadec Islands are the largest marine reserve in New Zealand at 7450sq km and are surrounded by the last unfished waters in the country.

It is one of the few marine areas in the world where large predatory fish are in numbers and sizes approaching those of natural, unfished populations.

A goal of the expedition is to establish a record of species diversity which can be used as a baseline to track any changes over time.

Previous trips to the islands have resulted in entirely new species being discovered, and the researchers have said it is likely the same will happen on this trip.