July 17, 2014 - A long, full day - from sunshine to starshine

It has been a long 13 plus hour day that we have crammed full of fun on our last full day on the West Coast!  We started our day with a hearty breakkie again at Maggies. Then we did some shopping and exploring around Greymouth.

Alan shows us his "hot dog" that his friends brought him back from Rout 66 in the U.S.A.

Next we stopped at Barrytown (where we ended our Croesus Track hike yesterday) to look for jade on the beach.

No pounamu, but a beautiful morning and pretty rocks.

We at lunch at Paparoa National Park and got to see a cheeky Weka before heading on to the Fox River walk to ID some native plants and find a New Zealand Robin.  Then we took in another short hike along the Pororari River looking for dinosaurs in this area that looks like the dawn of time.

Lunch in abundant and luxurious sunshine!

Cheeky Weka

Curious New Zealand Robin

Even curiouser "dinosaurs" along the Pororari River

Then a short walk on the beach at Punakaiki before we headed to the Pancake Rocks at Sunset and high tide to experience the blow holes and sunset.

Mist from blow hole just barely framing up our picture.

Pancake Rocks at Sunset

Watching the sunset

Then a quick hot drink while it got dark enough to go to the glow worm cave and view the night sky before heading back to Greymouth where we, once again, visited Kay and ate at Eating and Drinking and learned how to do some Maori flax weaving.

A hot drink at the Punakaiki Tavern before heading out to see glow worms and evening sky (which looks like a Nasa photo but we can't capture it like they do)

Now it is really time for bed!  Sweet Dreams Tamariki ma! - Meryl

July 11, 2014 - Possums, Performance, and Real Estate, oh my!

Kia Ora!

So after an amazing three day trip to Akaroa, we all slept in (our first lecture wasn't until 10, which gave us a well deserved rest!), and then headed off to learn about managing program performance and predator control. The lectures were hosted at Landcare Research Manaaki Whenua institute.

The squad waits for Dr. Hostetler to check us in.

On the way in, we ran into a bit of good news in the form of Colin Meurk. Colin retrieved Tupalo's lost camera and jacket hood, so if you ever see him walking down the street, make sure to thank him and the park ranger that returned the items :)

Colin being awesome.

After our encounter with Colin, we all settled down into the classroom for a good bit of learning.

Dr. Will Allen, talking about sustainability and evaluation.

The first lecture was by Dr. Will Allen. Dr. Allen spoke about managing program performance, and how much planning went into ensuring that a program was ran effectively from conception to completion. He let us delve into the process by showing us the template for program management,  and then cut us loose and let us create our own programs!

Erin, Katherine, and Alicia present their idea on Cleaning up Midtown.

Christina, Braden, and Sam present their idea on Composting on campus.

Josh, Conner, Tori, and Le'a present their idea on Reducing lawn water use. 

Dean Anderson: Ecologist.

The second lecture was by Dean Anderson, an American ecologist now living in New Zealand. He spoke to us about predator management, and the amount of work that had been put into ensuring that exotic predators (possums, stoats, hedgehogs, rabbits, and many more) don't eradicate the native species. One interesting thing that I got out of the lecture is that these days, a lot of ecology is not about going out into the woods and dealing with pests, but instead it's about teaching people not to be pests themselves!

The real pests.

After saying our goodbyes to our new friends at Manaaki Whenua, the squad decided to see how native kiwis (people who live in New Zealand) live, so we checked out some real estate and green development practices! The first neighborhood we stopped at was called Liffey Village, and it was quite the charming place. New Zealand architecture is quite different from American Architecture, in that until recently, almost none of the houses were built with insulation! Most houses here are designed to fully utilize the sun, so almost all of the houses have large north-facing windows. Also, on a semi-related note, New Zealand kitchens are beautiful!

Beautiful!

Another interesting aspect about the neighborhood was that it had an efficient storm-water collection system. The system was a combination of LID (low-impact design) and traditional drainage systems, which handled the stormwater in the area, while looking both elegant and eco-friendly.
After observing some very feisty ducks and a mixture of native and exotic flora (the native species we spotted were hebe, broadleaf, silver tussak, and cabbage trees, and the exotics were oaks, willows, and magnolias), the squad headed over to the adjacent neighborhood, where we decided to delve into the home buying business, so we went into a model home. Unfortunately, the house was a little bit out of our price range (NZ$700,000), but we still managed to learn a lot about local building techniques!

Dr. Hostetler discussing real estate.

Finally, we observed how the neighborhood developers had integrated a wetland style water treatment center right into the neighborhood. Despite not being crystal clear (which is apparently a big complaint by the local populace), the wetland does the job of filtering out undesirable elements from the water, making it safe to drink in the long run, while also keeping the neighborhood from flooding!

The local neighborhood wetland.

To finish up this post, I'd like to congratulate Tori for keeping strong these past few years, and not letting anything stop her. The reason I say this is because today is the three-year anniversary of her head injury, where she had a longboarding accident that cracked her skull. The going has been tough, but the tough get going, and Tori's definately going places (like New Zealand!)

Tori shows where the injury happened.

Until next time,

Josh

July 7th, 2014- Wetland Winter Wonderland

The squad got an early start this morning and headed to the Landcare Research center after breakfast to absorb an interesting lecture from Colin Meurk. His presentation was about "Ecosystem Restoration Theory, Principles, and Practice." He informed us of New Zealand's current state of crisis. New Zealand has lost a significant amount of species since the first Polynesians arrived about 1,000 years ago. Much of the native wildlife (mostly birds) and vegetation has become extinct because of introduced or exotic species (especially mammals). This has caused declines in biodiversity and ecosystem services. Colin reviewed the eight main points of ecosystem restoration and explained the importance of restoration and the connection between people and nature. Some of the social and political values of the native natural community include aesthetics, physical recreation, spiritual healing, education, science, and tourism. He also reviewed the steps and challenges that need to be taken into consideration for restoration.

Colin's Lecture

Next on the agenda was a visit to Travis Wetlands for a nature walk and to 

perform transect bird counts. We ate lunch and then Colin demonstrated the best technique for planting native trees. We then tramped into the wetland to begin our bird counts. We performed one point count and four transect counts for any birds seen with in a reasonable distance (20-40 meters). We split into groups of two. One student kept watch with binoculars for any birds seen and the other team mate would record the data. Some of the birds we viewed included Pukekos, Mallards, Grey Ducks, Grey Teals, European Starlings, Black swans, Paradise shell ducks, Canada geese, and Black birds. 

                      Images of students performing transect bird counts

Pukeko's foraging

After all our hard work a break was much needed. We stopped at the "Naked Baker" for some coffee, tea, and snacks to rejuvenate. Afterwards we went to New Brighton Beach to observe and explore the coastal plant communities and dunes. It was a beautiful place. Across the street from the beach we enjoyed the local park where we rode the fox run, climbed trees, and tried out the other playground equipment.
We were all exhausted to say in the least by the end of this fantastic day!

Fox Run Fun

New Brighton Beach

July 5th- Conservation & Weeds!

          We started off our day with hash browns, toast, and fried eggs. We then went to a lecture by Dr. Hostetler in our dorm sky lounge. It was a discussion about how New Zealand improves biodiversity and conserves within expanding urban environments. It included the three steps of expanding using Low Impact Urban Design and Development. This includes the design, construction and post-construction. We learned about how to benefit the environment while also suiting human needs. One example of this was the importance of connectivity. By using narrow roads with street trees, builders create a connectivity place for species living in urban areas. Also, if roads cut off connections between water bodies it will restrict the ability for aquatic species to travel freely up and down stream. It is important to create larger patches of natural habitats for native species to thrive. Using native plants is especially important in having a positive impact on biodiversity and natural character on a site. However, sometimes allowing some exotic plants to thrive can benefit native species planted beneath them by creating shelter. We also learned a few random facts like that almost all insects that bite are female in order to feed their eggs. Insects also are naturally guided by the moon light and by having street and city lights, we distract their travel patterns.

            We ended our discussion with the importance of education is on the public about conserving native species. Most people do not understand the importance of their daily habits on the environment. 70% of New Zealand’s weeds actually came from garden escape and rubbish bins. These exotic weeds take over New Zealand’s natural landscape and thrive by having a faster re-generation time. Later in the afternoon we saw these weeds in action, but first we took a pit-stop at the farmers market. We walked around various venders to see handmade scarves and necklaces. Most of us enjoyed chocolate cookies made by a local woman.

Farmer's Market in Lincoln

           Right beside the farmers market was where we stopped for lunch at Hillyers of Lincoln. We each got a different meat pie that was specially wrapped in a thin flakey breading similar to a pot-pie. The meat and cheese proportions were incredible, leaving everyone extremely satisfied and full to continue our journey for the day.

Hillyers of Lincoln

            This leads us to our next stop, Little River to see the Banks Peninsula Conservation Trust. The first noticeable attribute of the site was the two large Totara trees beside our parking place. Mrs. Alison Evans and Mrs. Annalise Davies spoke to us about their conservation activities. They have been in effect for 13 years now and make covenants with various landowners to protect a portion of their property. This way they can not only help native vegetation, but also take data from the same places in order to see the changes they implement. When they first started on Banks Peninsula, humans had removed all by 1% of native vegetation. There are a few species of birds, like the kiwi, tui, and kokaka, were run out of the area by mammal predators. Unfortunately the moa species are now extinct, primarily due to hunting by Maori.

View from Little River Banks Conservation Trust Land

Small Totara in the Forest

Full Grown Totara in Parking Lot

Group Picture in Parking Lot

However, thanks to their efforts, Banks Peninsula is now back to 15-20% native vegetation, and they are still trying to bring back the bird species. They now have over 50 covenants with people throughout Banks Peninsula, and are continuing to gain land. They have increased the total conservation area from 431 hectares to over 1200 hectares and have also almost completely exiled feral goats. They also are involved with many activities to help bring back native birds. One example of this is the Tui Project. The tui’s are unable to migrate back to the island due to lack of connectivity points between their home and migratory lands. The Banks Peninsula Conservation Trust is helping make small connectivity points in hopes to eventually lead them back to the area to thrive again. They are also doing something similar with the Jeweled gecko, which are poached and taken as pets because they are only active during the day. Another fun fact, these geckos give birth to live babies instead of eggs.

They also use several methods in order to control exotic species. They use kill trap lines for rats, ferrets, stoats and weasels near roadways in attempt to make the area completely predator free. Below is a photograph of the device used to trap and humanely kill predators. 

Mrs. Alison Evans and the Kill Trap

We also were able to see a Tree Nettle. This species is endemic to New Zealand, meaning they only exist within the country. They are very painful if touched by human skin, sending a sharp pain into your body. 

Tree Nettle

Another control method they implement is weeding. There is a weed very similar to Darwin’s Barberry that originated from South America that is taking over New Zealand’s land.  We helped Mrs. Evans and Mrs. Davies pull out weeds from the land near Banks Peninsula. These weeds could get up to 5 meters tall! We actually encountered a few of them, and realized the amount of effort it takes to remove one of these overgrown weeds. 

Darwin's Barberry (Weed)

Erin Removing an Overgrown Weed

Ending our journey, we walked to the top of the hills to see a Pure Pod. This was a small house that is able to sustain itself fully through solar power. It was made of glass and in the middle of a covenant property. The money that make goes directly into a fund to help continue conservation efforts.

Pure Pod

We ended our day by traveling to Birdling’s Flat. This was a beautiful dark rock beach with huge waves crashing into the red cliffs beside us. We looked around for various rocks to take home to polish. We also dark grey shells that had washed up on the shoreline. Dr. Hostetler explained that they were most likely shark egg cases. After this long day, we found ourselves excited to spend our evening in pajamas in the dorm to get to sleep fairly early. -Tory

Group Picture at Birdling's Flat 

July 4th, 2014

Kia Ora and greetings from Aoteaora (also known as New Zealand!)  Today the squad experienced another fun-filled day as we explored some of the surrounding area.  I welcome you to join our adventure through this blog post!  Currently we are in the midst of celebrating America’s independence by belting Nsync and Spice Girls in my room, so I’ll do my best to recap today’s events despite the shenanigans.

The day began with fried eggs and baked beans in the dining hall as we fueled up for the day’s adventures.  We took a short drive to join forces with Colin Meurk, one of Dr. Hostetler’s colleagues, who lectured about New Zealand’s unique natural history.  Interestingly, the island had no naturally occurring mammals for thousands of years (except a couple species of bats), and therefore boasts a variety of uniquely adapted plants and animals.  The kiwi, as an obvious example, is a flightless bird that never acquired the evolutionary need to escape predators through flight.  We also discussed bioclimatic zones, native flora, and conservation efforts among other things.  A tea break at 10 was much needed before heading out to Riccarton Bush.

Riccarton Bush provided insight on what natural New Zealand looked like before Maori and European colonization.  It is comprised only of native plant species that are extremely well-protected by a 10-foot electric fence!  Not only does this deter meddling teenagers, but also rats, weasels, cats, and other land-bound predators that may interfere with the growth of the plants.  Colin is pictured below on the left-hand side.

After exploring the forest, it was time for a picnic lunch at the Deans family cottage.  We then ventured to what remained of downtown Christchurch after the earthquakes in 2011.  Creatively redesigned to invite visitors to shop and sip coffee, the city incorporated bright sculptures, musical gardens, and a life-sized chess game in its main plaza.

Tea time again! We went to C1 cafe, which boasts a bookcase doorway, an antique sewing machine water dispenser, good jams, and rich desserts.

At last, we arrived back at Lincoln and it was dinner time.  (All we think about is food, huh?)  A sweet potato/egg/cheese tortilla was on the menu - delicious!  I can't wait to see what the future has in store for us tomorrow as we make our way to the local farmer's market.

Connor

July 3 2014 - Gordian Knots...Heads Up

Making our way out of our traffic jam.

 Our eventful day started with low ropes team building on a frosty (but sunny) 26 degree morning at the uni tennis courts.  We skillfully worked our way through several challenges including detangling ourselves from a gordian knot and making our way through a traffic jam in almost record time.

In the early afternoon we took in our first lecture from Dr. Hostetler about conserving biodiversity and what matters to the different stakeholders (e.g., farmer, urbanite).

A NZ Young Farmer finalist shows his stuff as an auctioneer.

Late in the afternoon we were privy to a special opening ceremony on the Lincoln University Campus  of the preliminary rounds of the NZ Young Farmer/World Young Shepard competition.  We got to see how the seven finalists would do at auctioning off a cow with the best one selling his stock animal for over $20,000NZ.

Pavlova!

Heads Up!

After dinner we had family night at the Hostetler's flat.  We made whipped cream to decorate our pavlova dessert, sampled L&P soda, watched an episode of the Flight of the Conchords TV show, played charades and Heads Up.  Another full day of fun in Aoteroa. Cheers, Meryl

July 2, 2014 - It was a cold and windy day...

Looking out over Lyttelton Harbor from Sugarloaf Reserve , Port Hills

Brrrrr - BUT we made it to the top of the hill over looking Christchurch and the Pacific Ocean

After getting a break to get settled into our digs and grab some lunch at the uni, we headed out to the Port Hills for a short hike and an overview of our surroundings.  It was sunny (which in itself is always a gift in NZ winter), but a COLD Southerly was blowing STRONG gusts off of Antarctica and as we got further up our hike on the hill, it was hard to stand up straight.  The view of Christchurch, Lyttelton Harbor, and the Canterbury Plains with the Southern Alps in the distance were all beautiful despite the cold and wind.

TIP TOP!

Connor's first flat white.

Next we headed to the small town of Tai Tapu (along the way we could see the black snow clouds moving up the east coast) for the warmth of The Store and to get Tip Top ice cream (mmmmmmm Hokey Pokey!).

Snow clouds

Finally, we did a little shopping for odds and ends that we needed in Rollerston before heading back to the uni for dinner.  Not bad for a first day in the land of the long white (or dark grey) cloud.