Aotearoa "Land of the long white cloud"

Hello everyone! sorry for lacking on posts it honestly has been one hell of a ride so far with everything being so action packed and endless. I feel like I honestly haven't had time to think for myself.

And with that I am going to try and make this a bit quick but probably will not happen.

So on week 2

Our first camping trip, we went to the Hūnua Range Region, and learned about distancing, and compasses. This was to help the people that haven’t had this experience yet within college and again to now make us all on the same page. So we did some exercises with counting our paces and learning how to use compasses and how to read them or use them. Later on in the night we got to go with Shelly, Cat, Steve, Chris, and Ramon to find species around our campsite which was an awesome experience for everyone. We first encountered the stick insects, and we learned that the female doesn’t need a male to reproduce, then we saw the fresh water eel, and lastly we saw glow worms finally after a bit of a trek to find where they were living. Everyone was so content being able to see them or touch them. We then ended up going to bed after seeing the glow worm.

The next day we went to the Hūnua falls 30 minutes from our camp site and had a nice 5 hours and about 10 km of tramping within the bush. I had Ramon as my guide for this trip which was awesome because he would be super patient and look at everything and anything and he pointed out native species and non-native species and kept testing us throughout the walk and we even made a song to remember the ones we failed to remember or because we got confused because they were so similar for example Miro and Matai being so similar we needed to identify the leaf to understand it more. I know I have the Rimu, Rangiora, Mingimingi, Nikau Palm, Kawakawa, Tonga, and Kohia down because some of them are super distinct with their features where as the ones I don’t know as much aren’t as distinct. But this trip helped me get accustomed to the new species and understanding why certain animals live in certain areas and why. It also gave us a chance to hang out with Ramon on a personal level and to understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses between the people we worked with when it comes to identification and field notebooks.

On Wednesday 5/2/2020 we went to a Marai together and were involved in a welcoming and sang a Waiata to the local tribe and it was beautiful and I cried a big amount due to feeling my own ancestral energy as well as feeling the energy from being at such a spiritual place. This was due to one of my best friend’s family being involved in Reikei and spirit work on the world, and I have encountered such intense energy in my life that it flowed intensely and it was just magical and such a release of feelings. Then I got to talk to the warrior which I forgot his name which I feel bad about. But he started connecting things to frequencies in our world and that is something I have always talked about with people but in the sense of energy. I never have used the word frequency but that seems like the word I should be using rather than energy because realistically having energy is basically a frequency. When he was talking about how when the ants are out and biting usually that means it is going to rain. Which I than looked back when people were complaining during camping and then two days later at night as everyone was sleeping it was sprinkling and I made the connection and it honestly blew my mind on how realistic it was.

On 6/2/2020 we went to Auckland to encounter Waitangi day which is basically when New Zealand got their independence from the British and claimed themselves as a country on their own. This is a hard day for Maori because their land was claimed by the British and there was many land wars throughout the lifetime of this country. Some people celebrate where they have gotten so far others protest on this day because there are some inequalities that people may still see today. But again it’s all about perspective. We encountered another Haungi and got to meet the major of New Zealand Phil Goff which was amazing to encounter the second most powerful figure in this amazing country. Then after the welcome people spread out and had food or listened to the music.

Throughout the rest of week two we learned a lot about the history of New Zealand. It helped me understand the land a lot better and why the people in this country are so passionate about what they protect. It is truly a powerful experience to feel grounded and more connected I have ever been in my life to mother earth and her immensely beautiful creations.

On that weekend I went to Auckland again at a beautiful Airbnb with most of my mates from the program and we got to witness their pride march. It use to be a parade but the last 2 years it wasn't. Two Transgenders from the police force wanted to walk one Pakeha (european new zealander) and a maori but then the actual police force wanted to walk with their uniforms on and the LGBT and the transgender community were against it due to them being suppressed still. Also all the major organizations that sponsored the parade pulled out so once the money pulls out it doesn't happen. So they went back to their grassroots and do a march every year instead of a parade. All my friends and I got involved for a little bit and marched. Then we rested and ended up on Karangahape Road aka K-Road which is where a lot of gay bars and backpacker bars are. This was full of life and most bars are open until 4am. We also hit thrifts and vintage shops throughout the day which was pretty cool.

Week 3 – Opoutawhat? (Opoutere Camping)

Before we left on Monday the 10th we started learned a bit more about RMA with Shelly and started getting into wetlands within New Zealand and touching up on some knowledge to get us ready for going to Opourtere the following day with Cat, Dave, Rebekah, and Ramon. This helped us with background information before our speakers in Opoutere because every person had different perspectives on managing land or understanding how to utilize it and what was affecting it. Asides that we got briefed on what was happening for the week and then we did a few activities that we rotated in stations which helped us in different ways. For example; the first station I was in I was with Steve and we were talking about what we use and where does it all go and how does it get to places like our waste or our items we use. Then we rotated to the second station which was brainstorming of ways to be sustainable or change bad habits we have in the United States of America. The third station I went and made a bees wax wrap with Cat and this consisted of bees wax and extra textile that was cut out for us to use. I thought this was pretty useful for me in the future with finding innovative ways to wrap my food up and keep it safe. Throughout my time here I have learned about how to reuse ingredients from left overs, to how to conserve water which perfectly transitions into the last station. Where Ramon was talking with our group about water consumption and where it does go and how does it connect us with the rest of the world and being mindful of what we use versus what we waste.

Arriving to Opourtere we got to set up camp and adventure a bit until after lunch. Then we met with a lady that was from the Department of Conservation (DOC.) she and another gentleman specialized in shore/sea birds or in other words the New Zealand Dotterel and Banded Dotterel. She helped us with understanding why they are threatened due to the process of sea level rising, and humans and their dogs disturbing their nesting sites and people just not being mindful or understanding their impact on certain species. This helped our group become more mindful of the area and the specific species that are important to this ecosystem also helping piece a part of the puzzle that were presented to us in this particular area.

The following day everyone got split into groups for different activities to also help with our oral presentations for the end of the week. Our group was focused on mangroves and we were the first of the two groups to go kayaking. As we set out we went right into the mangrove area to start and I remember noticing how they were cut off once we hit the stream we were heading up. Every time we were near the mangroves or had the chance I wanted to look down and see the roots and the creatures or shellfish that were attached to the roots which it claimed happens in the readings and I wanted to see their creation of their own ecosystem. I found it super fascinating especially as Dave was explaining how the land is used and pointing out certain aspect of the land, for example the obvious forestry area in the mountains that you can see if your facing inland in a kayak or swimming in the estuary. Throughout the estuary we got to see eagle rays since it was low tide and I personally thought this was an awesome experience because I think throughout New Zealand I feel like I have been connected with their habitat rather than seeing them in a zoo and it’s an impeccable feeling and just a different perspective overall and worth something to note.

Later on in the day after lunch we got together to see another speaker. Robert was involved in the Forestry companies’ local to what we were looking at in the morning. He explained what he does and what he does as a job and explained part of the processes and the decision making they do to provide wood for New Zealand. He was interesting because I didn’t fully agree with the way they did things in New Zealand and I was shocked considering I thought that this country was leading in sustainability within the world. When in reality the forestry is just another part of the puzzle and potentially the bad side of the puzzle in why a lot of things are happening species wise that could cause a cascading effect or bottom up effect due to sedimentation release into the catchment of Opoutere. He also dodged many questions we were asking for obvious reasons but it was interesting to see another perspective in this process.

After he spoke we ended up working on the start of our two day shellfish survey. This whole process for both the days was long but worth it. It wasn’t like in the United States where we do a science project that has already been done either in high school or it just isn’t used for anything so it makes us feel like we are not really helping out in our local community. But this actually goes up to the Department of Conservation and helps New Zealand understand the effects of anthropocentric issues, climate change, etc. The variation of types of shells from both sides of the estuary/harbor was cool. The first day we saw many smaller shells of cockles, wedges, and I noticed we saw an immense amount of whelks on the first day when we didn’t cross the channel. That is a question I was wondering and will probably note in my Opourtere write up. Yet on the second day and crossing the channel I saw way bigger cockles and wedges and not many topshells, and whelks. As I ponder this I wonder if it’s because of how the stream or the channel flows and deposits sedimentation and shellfish maybe on one side versus another.

On Thursday 13/2/2020 our group got to do the hiking portion of the two activities. By doing this we got a different perspective then being on ground level of the mangroves, and where the catchment comes in from which streams. We got to see a rare bird (name here) and that was a pretty sweet sight. I feel like in many bird watching experiences I have been lucky to see rare birds which has gotten me to respect birds more, because prior to when I went to the Peruvian Amazon I never really cared much for birds until I saw the Hoatzin which ironically loves mangroves as well but it is closest we get to a prehistoric bird from our prehistoric times because they have a claws on their wings.

By Friday 14/2/2020 we were all pretty pooped. But we had one more speaker and honestly I think Glenda was the most enthusiastic speaker we had this whole trip. This personally woke me up and I thoroughly enjoyed her talk although maybe having her in the beginning would of helped understand everything as whole. Regardless she took her time after her speech to talk to me specifically about mangroves because she seemed super passionate about every aspect of ecology in New Zealand and she just was super educated and it was amazing. She even used the sand as a medium to show me a diagram which I took a lot from and how mangroves in New Zealand and hearing her opinion on them. It was another part of the puzzle that helped me understand the ecology of New Zealand. Yet it is just another perspective within the land. This country is full of passionate people that care about the future of the land where as others don’t understand their effect yet or do not care because they weren’t educated or because money plays a big role on certain decisions and whether or not you have a good paying job for some folks. This trip has helped me understand the true importance of ecosystems working together especially in a place like New Zealand where it is isolated from the typical main lands. This is where things can easily go wrong because it is only so big. It has taught me the true sense of people working as a community, and everyone needing to be educated to be able to embrace this country but of course not everyone will be but it’s how you deliver the information.

Also for the weekend we went to Seabreeze Holiday park campsite and it had a Hotwater brewery and got to try frijoa cidar which was an alcoholic beverage. We visited Cathedral Cove and Hot water beach on Saturday which was an amazing site to see! On the way back to get picked up we stopped in Tairua because we wanted brunch and to see the town which was awesome!

Week 4 – Shorebirds love the Hauraki Gulf

Throughout all the weeks I have been excited to learn about where Ecoquest is located especially with all the shorebirds and seabirds that we talk about while going to the beach. The field excercize that included using GPS’s and mapping the limits of mangrove distributions was awesome especially after helping Catie work on a presentation during our week in Opoutere on mangroves. It was nice to have some intense background knowledge and a local opinion from Glenda about mangroves and what they do for New Zealand. Not only that I was talking to Cat the day prior to doing this exercise when she was getting things assembled for Marine week. She mentioned she was talking to one of the farmers that were curious about mangrove growth and what is happening with them in the local area. Not only that he apparently mentioned to her that he moved the machinery that he gets for water for the cows he needed to move upstream due to the salinity of the water increasing. Just hearing what the locals have to say and how close everyone seems to be is amazing. It’s a different experience than what we see in the United States. I feel as if the local farmers and the people in general are pretty connected and know one another very well where in the United States it is the opposite and locals are always usually divided. Anyways when we did the exercise I actually got to meet the farmer because our group was the one on his stream. I got to have a small chat with him which I thought was great!

The next field exercise was going to the Pūkorokoro-Miranda Shorebird Centre and hear Keith Woodly speak about migration patterns of shorebirds and seabirds. Keith talked about so many types of birds and the differences between the two types of birds. Shore birds do not have webbed feet whereas seabirds have webbed feet. This is due to shorebirds not being adapted to water and love being around when the tide being down and being on mud flats. Unlike where seabirds love getting wet and don’t mind water but usually stay at sea most of the time. He mentioned the Wrybill which I absolutely loved observing when we got to go out in the hides. Their bill is curved to the right a bit, and they live only in the southern hemisphere and they usually nest in a braided riverbed in Canterbury. Then he mentioned the Bar-Tailed Godwit which travels a minimum of 30 thousand km for migratory travel. They need to prepare for migration by replacing feathers which days 100 days and an immense amount of food. Godwits need to look meaty to can get ready for such long flights. Some birds take flight to Alaska for early March whereas the other Godwits go further north in Alaska and have to wait until the end of March for the ice to thaw out. In order to figure out their flight patterns they put tracking devices in E5 and E7 and followed and tracked when they touched land and how long it took them to get there. To be honest I wasn’t really fond of the way they did it by surgically putting a device in them, but I understand if it is the only way to get this type of information. I personally enjoyed Keith’s talk and his dry sense of humor, it helped me stay focused and understand how these majestic birds live.

After his talk we got to actually get into hides with scopes and binoculars and watch these birds in their natural habitat which is awesome. We are learning to live within their existence rather than them being at the zoo. I got to see a Pied stilt (Poaka) which is a declining species. I also saw a good amount of Red Knots (Huahou) which are migratory birds and are declining but they were super cute and brown. Out of all the birds they had the chunkiest bodies. Then I finally got to see the cute Wrybills (ngutoparore) which are nationally vulnerable I spent the most time looking at these just because they were sitting down as the wind was coming at them and I believe it was because they are smaller so that’s how they rest where many of the other birds would rest standing up or on one foot. The last favorite bird I have which honestly was my second favorite to the Wrybill was the Spoonbill bird. They are so goofy and big and their beak literally scoops up food like a spoon and it was so funny watching them interact and stick out like a sore thumb compared to all of the other birds. Spoonbills also would just go within all the species. The other bird species that I mentioned were usually grouped up together so they could flock together as well. I thoroughly enjoyed bird watching and connecting with Shelly about the birds she liked because she got me to see the spoonbill. There also was a gentleman I think his name was Allan I don’t totally remember but he came out with us to look at birds from the shorebird center and he told me amazing stories about his life and how he got into bird watching and I shared some stories about when I went to the Amazon and witnessing the Hoatzin. It was a very peaceful and quiet activity and a great way to embrace the beauty of these species. Bird watching in different countries helped me understand the importance of these birds and makes me learn to appreciate them.

Next Week (week 5 is marine week!)

So I will be up in Lee with some other university students that will be showing us what they do and probably doing another survey as well. Then we go up near Whangarei after 2 ish days, and do some more snorkeling!

I will then go to Auckland to actually explore it!

In about 2 weeks we will be in the south island and I honestly cannot wait for some alpine studies.