August 4th, 2014 Historical day on two fronts

Susanne and June sing The Chattanooga Choo Choo before a sold out crowd.

Today marked the 100th anniversary of when New Zealand entered World War I.  So my friend June (originally from England but now residing in New Zealand for the last seven years) is such a kind-hearted soul and wanted to do something for the people of Christchurch to commemorate this historical day, but have it also be about being together to honor our loved ones and recognizing the comradery and love that still occurred in these hard times. She set about to put on a show, arranged for a facility to stage it and groups to help perform in it and even slides, banners, and costumes to remember and honor the historical significance of the occasion.  She put together an hour worth of songs from the WWI and WWII era and told about their significance as she and other guests performed them as well as included a half hour sing along (with four page sing along sheets to follow) for the 300 something attendees.  Most were from area retirement villages or of retirement age and everyone had a good time as they raised the roof with some songs that even I remember my Grandparents singing as I was growing up. June asked me to help her take the tickets for the event as two other friends were helping to park cars, and I was happy to help as I knew it meant that I would be able to hear her and another friend, Susanne, sing together.

Pies!

Hot Chocolate!

I was busy with my ticket-taking task as our students got to savor their last Hillyer's pies for lunch today, but got to catch up with them shortly after they did this and hung out in the Lincoln University Cafeteria where they had a chance to get a copy of our slideshow from our five-week adventure and chill for a bit before we headed off to the airport.

JC Penney pose among the natives at the Prebbleton Quarry. 

Heading in to the airport to weigh our bags.

Burger King in New Zealand.

A little last shopping in Kiwi land.

Of course we stopped along the way to check out a few more native plants and take in some sunshine but our short hike was thwarted by a lake showing up in the middle of it from June rains.  So we tossed some small rocks and larger rocks, gave the swings a swing, and, or course, took a group photo before heading on to the airport to hang out a little more.  The Squad was hungry when we got there and I laughed that most ordered Burger King from all of the variety of food court options.  Even Mark and the kids could not resist a few fries. And, of course, we needed ANOTHER group photo!

The Squad in action just before going through security.

We are all tired, sad to be leaving, and excited about our next travels (Tory will meet up with her family here for another week or so, and Katherine and Sam will be traveling on to Australia), and being home with loved ones.  It has been a really fun time and we can't believe it is already time to go?!  Tonight, our driveway outside the flat looks empty without the Gatorwaka (Piwakawaka looks lonely without her buddy), and Lincoln Campus seems a little too quiet with the thought of our students not being just across the cricket and rugby fields. Love and hugs and safe travels, Meryl

August 1, 2014 DOC Nursury, Port Hills Panorama, Exploring Governor's Bay, Afternoon Tea in Lytteton and a Birthday

Checking out the Department of Conservation signage.

It was hardly the "warm blustery northwesterly" Metservice forecast, but slightly warmer temps held for a third day in a row making our day out at least dry and clear.  We began at the local Department of Conservation nursery where we practiced identifying native plants.  This nursery serves as a source for locally sourced plants, which is important for preserving genetic integrity for plants planted within this region of the country.

Lunch with a view of Lyttelton Harbor (we can almost see the tussock we moved on Quail Island)

Next up, my favorite hike in the Port Hills - the Crater Rim Walkway section near Omahu Bush Reserve which offers 360 views that include the Pacific Ocean, Birdlings Flat, Lake Ellesmere, the Canterbury Plains/Christchurch area and views to the Southern Alps and of Lyttelton Harbor.  We hiked up to a large rocky outcrop where we ate our lunch and enjoyed the views.  Then the "blustery" weather got more blustery and we decided it was time to move on.

Tory shows a little crab she found under the rocks at low tide at Governor's Bay.

After driving along the Summit Drive of the Port Hills we headed down to Governor's Bay to explore the rocks and look for sea life whilst (as they say here) the tide was out.  We found little crabs under rocks, played in the mud (intentionally and unintentionally) a little, and enjoyed the views and sheltered-from-the-shoreline walk along the rocky shore.

Happy Birthday Christina!

Then we were off for tea time in Lyttelton and a chance to celebrate Christina's Birthday!  The Squad is off for a night out in Christchurch.  Have fun and Cheers, Meryl

July 28, 2008 A walk in the garden, through history, in Christchurch, and at a quarry

Colin teaches us about the Avon River and Christchurch Botanical Gardens.

We began our day of walks in the Christchurch Botanical Gardens with Colin as our tour guide.  We enjoyed all the food for thought about past-laid plans and ongoing formulating future plans  for Christchurch and surrounds as we learned about the Avon river that runs through much of Christchurch and the Botanical Garden.  With the Earthquakes having changed the landscape, the Garden City need not continue with the traditional English lawns, but opt for its native identity or a combination of the two.  In the past, plans concerning the Avon only considered it landscaped with lawn.  Additional trees and plantings along its shores change the flood plain zones and will thus influence city planning.  We also learned that the gardens have, over the past few years, served as a place to visit as a safe haven of sorts for Christchurch residents who have survived through the earthquakes.

We got to explore the newly opened Visitor's Center at the gardens as well.

Walking through the Rose Garden.

Kakabeak in bloom in the native New Zealand Garden.

We further took to heart that, in general, botanical gardens highlight the native plants and offer plants from other parts of the world as a secondary enhancement.  At the Christchurch Botanical Gardens, the more traditional English garden brought by early settlers 150 years ago is featured first, with the native New Zealand plant garden off to the side. We toured both and we taken by the beauty of the formality of the English rose garden laying in wait to blossom in Spring and equally with the beauty of the texture of the native New Zealand plants and the early spring blooms of the kakabeak.  It was interesting to compare 100-years growth for non-native plants like the incredibly tall California Sequoia with the slower-growing, native plants and trees like the Kauri which can grow more than 160 feet tall. 

The Peacock Fountain with the Arts Center in the back ground on the right.

Dr. Hos and students checking out a Moa at the Canterbury Museum.

We lunched in the sun by the Peacock Fountain before walking in the Canterbury Museum. There we explored the Moa, Maori, Paua House, Old Christchurch street, Earthquake Photos, Antarctica, Bird and many more exhibits.

 

The Christchurch Trams are running again in Christchurch after being inactive since the Earthquakes. Restoration work continues on the Arts Center on the right.

Next we were off for a brief walk to view a little of the city were restoration efforts are taking place on the Arts Center and Art Gallery.

 

The Squad in the Sister City Korean Garden at Halswell Quarry.

After afternoon tea back at the Botanical Garden Visitor’s Center, we went for a short hike at Halswell Quarry where we saw where the stones for some of the beautiful building we saw during the day (Canterbury Museum and Arts Center) came from.

Another beautiful day! Hope everyone gets good rest after the action-packed weekend! – Meryl and Mark

Wednesday July 23, 2014 Kaikoura Adventures

Kia Ora!

The Squad hiking the Kaikoura Coast

The squad hopped out of bed this morning, ate breakfast at the Dusky Lodge, and headed out for a day of adventures. We started off by checking Whale Watch Kaikoura to see if the weather was clear enough for some of us to experience the sperm whales right off the coast. Unfortunately the waves were too rough and the tours were canceled.

However, we did still learn about whales in the reception area! One of our favorite things we discovered was about the giant sperm whale's buoyancy. Due to the large quantities of oil in their bodies, they can regulate it. By regulating the temperature of spermaceti in their heads, the sperm whale can alter it's buoyancy. When exposed to cold air on the surface, the oil cools and hardens forming a solid wax denser than the water that helps them descend. To melt the waxy film, the whale's capillaries pump blood which allows them to be less dense and ascend more easily.

We jumped back in the Gator Waka and drove to tea time at the Why Not Cafe. With some warm drinks in our bellies, we were ready for our hike around the Peninsula Seal Colony on the Kaikoura Coast. We started at Point Kean where we ran into many resting Kekeno (the Maori name for New Zealand Fur Seals meaning "looks around").

Fur seal "looking around"

Fun Fact: During the winter months there is a large increase of males at Point Kean. In the Spring/Summer (breeding season) the males travel to larger breeding colonies so there are less likely to be as many here. They are also less aggressive in the winter since they are not competing for mates.

Colony of fur seal at Kaikoura

Reading the information signs was really interesting. We learned that the only fur seal killers on land are humans and stray dogs. At sea they may be killed by sharks and orcas. Major threats to the sea puppies include synthetic packaging, looped lines, and pieces of discarded nets. They will occasionally swallow plastic bags, mistaking them for jellyfish. This can cause a slow painful death.

The squad then hiked up the trail around the coast to learn about the Titi (Hutton's Shearwater). These pelagic birds are endemic to the Kaikoura area. The Te Rae O Atiu area that sits in the bird's flight path to the mountains. There are strong sea breezes here which help the birds take flight. Most of the time these birds are at sea, however they come ashore to nest. The first thing we saw when walking up was a predator proof fence. It is part of a conservation effort by Hutton's Shearwater Charitable Trust. The fence was put up in 2008 due to the rats and stoats significantly reducing the number of nesting colonies found in the area. In order to establish colonies within the fence 2-month old chicks were taken from their mountain burrows before they would normally leave and placed in artificial burrows at this site. They were hand fed and biologists hoped the babies would imprint on the area and return to lay their own eggs. The project has been successful! The number of shearwaters has increased since then and they are continuing to breed at that site! Not only is this area important to the birds, but the birds are important to the land as well because they bring in a lot of nutrition from the sea to the mountains.

Erin enjoying the magnificent views

The site is actually on Maori land and the people are excited about being involved. This is because they traditionally eat them but cannot until the population is stronger in it's numbers.

We continued along the coast, seeing MANY more fur seals and even spotting a few dusky dolphins! After the hike, we stopped for lunch before hitting the road to Lincoln University. A long 3 hour drive put us back at campus just in time for dinner and a night of catching up on our class journals!

Squad Love

Cheers!
Sam and Katherine

July 18, 2014 A long trip home

After a spectacular yet exhausting previous three days, a relaxing day of travel was needed. Having said this today wasn't without its fair share of amazing sights and fun times. For the third time in four days, the day began with brekky at Maggie's, which I must say was just as good as the first two times we experienced it. You can't help but be in a good mood at this place as the walls are covered with great posters and quotes from customers and the folks working are nothing but smiles and full of jokes. 

Soon after we hit the road on our way back to Lincoln. However, unlike our trip over on Arthur's Pass, we took the northern route through Lewis Pass. These are the only two roads that travel west and east through the Southern Alps. Our first stop along the road was in a small town called Reefton. Although at first sight the town didn’t appear to be much, it has a pretty significant history. In 1888, Reefton was the first city in the Southern Hemisphere to have a street lighting system and the power station became the source of the first municipal power supply south of the Equator. The iStop (visitor center) that we went to had some great information about everything in the area from historical gold mining to the timber industry.

Here is a link that has more information about the history of the town.

http://www.reefton.co.nz/reefton/155-the-town-of-light

Our next and final stop before we made it home to Lincoln was at the Goblin Forest. We walked along the St. James Walkway for a short distance through a beech forest. Several of the native species that we have been studying were present including mountain beech, silver beech, and red tussock. The forest had a very eerie look to it so it was understandable why it was called the Goblin Forest. Along the walkway there were some breathtaking views of the snowcapped peaks of the Southern Alps. I must say that the sight never gets old.

The Southern Alps along the Lewis Pass

Trekking through the Goblin Forest. Note the variety of silver and mountain beech.

The Squads best attempt to stay unnoticed in the forest.

Red tussock along the walkway.

In front of the magnificent Southern Alps.

The rest of the five hour drive was spent listening to some quality jams while playing road trip games like 20 questions. We were able to see some of the Wine District. The area experiences a relatively warm climate where the best grapes are grown in New Zealand. We passed several vineyards and got a taste of what may be in store for our trip back there next week.

An intense game of 20 questions in the back of the Gator Waka.Connor prevailed

By the time we got back to the university everybody was more than ready to get out of the car. Dinner was tasty fried fish among other things. All of the students are back from break now so the cafeteria was packed compared to our previous couple of weeks on campus.

All in all it was another quality day in paradise.

I would sadly like to say goodbye to Breion Long who was taken from us way too soon on Monday. Rest In Peace Buddy. You are remembered and loved by many.

Braden

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 16, 2014 - Croesus Track

We are finally back from the approximately 7.45645428 mile second half of the Croesus Track!

No kiwis were seen yesterday night, but we did hear some. We also had great views of the Milky Way, shooting stars, and satellites.

Inside Ces Clark Hut

This morning, we set off up the trail to Barrytown on the Tasman Sea. The first half was all on the tops of mountains (with some steep drop-offs), and was windy and cold. We had amazing views of the surrounding mountains, the ocean, towns, and even Mount Cook.

On top of a mountain

More mountain top

View to Southern Alps

The second half was mostly down in the forest.  No wetas were found, but we did see some cockroaches. 

    

Forest

After long stretches of downhill uneven track, we made it to the nicer part of the trail. We could see where the trail was supposed to end, but it didn't seem to get any closer for a while. Then, after passing a cave and hiking a bit more, we came to the end of the trail, which was weirdly right on the edge of a big road.

Towards the end

At Barrytown!

After all cramming into the Gatorwaka, we drove to our hotel and took nice long showers. Then, we had a nice dinner at "Eating and Drinking", got some ice cream, and eventually went to bed. - Jámm

July 15, 2014 - And They're Off...In Search of Kiwi!

Breakki at Maggie's

Getting our gear in gear this morning at the Rev

Our morning started cold and bright!  Waiting a day really paid off with a high pressure system forecast to remain with us here on the West Coast for a few days!  We started off with a hearty breakki in Greymouth at Maggie's Kitchen - Thanks Allen!

Singing Frozen songs in the van

At the start of the Croesus Track

First swing bridge at Smoke-ho Creek

Next we all squeezed into the Gatorwaka and were serenaded by the girls singing Frozen songs as we drove to Blackball (of course Mark had to stop for some famous Blackball salami for the hike as well) to the start of the Croesus Track.  Tupe and I hiked to the first swing bridge before heading back.

Their rout today and tomorrow

"The Squad," as they liked to call themselves, will be heading up to Ces Clark Hut for the night in search of great spotted Kiwi.  If nothing else, the sky will be clear and amazing with stars tonight and a view of the Southern Alps in the morning for sunrise.  Tomorrow, our group will hike across to Barrytown where Tupe and I will pick everyone up.

Can't wait to hear about their adventure - stay tuned, Meryl : )