Field Trips

We had a great start to 2011, walking up the steep track to the top of Mauao on a beautiful clear and hot day, and wow the view is sure worth the climb.  Our new students got the chance to meet the returning second year students and get some valuable advice to help them get started.

Geology at Tongariro Crossing

A few weeks into the course and the second year Geology of New Zealand students were completing the Tongariro crossing in the central North Island.  Weather conditions were perfect and the students were able to get a good look at the geological features of this dynamic landscape.

Biosurveying on Mt. Ruapehu

Just a few short weeks later the weather took a turn and the first year biosurveying students spent a chilly week on the slopes of Mt. Ruapehu.  The snow cleared long enough to walk into the Mangaturuturu Valley and complete the annual heather (Calluna vulgaris) counts.  The first years then went from playing in the snow (in April!) to tramping up the Waipakihi Valley in the Kaimanawa Ranges.  This was a successful five day tramp involving many crossings of the Waipakihi River, some extremely frosty mornings emerging from out tents and some amazing views from the tops of the Umukarikari Range. 

Kapiti Island

Other trips this year included visiting Kapiti Island where we all had to watch out for the Kaka; they like to steal muesli bars while you are eating them and have an amazing knack of landing on your head then jumping onto your bag, opening all the zips and pulling out anything resembling food!  From Kapiti Island second year Ecological Restoration students then visited two mainland conservation sites, Zealandia (formerly Karori Wildlife Sanctuary) and Pukaha Mt Bruce in the Wairarapa, where they got to see endangered species such as North Island saddleback, tuatara, and North Island brown kiwi.

Tiritiri Matangi Island

One of the highlights of the year for the first year students was the annual trip to Tiritiri Matangi Island in the Hauraki Gulf.  Everyday students undertook five minute bird counts along two of the main tracks on the island; a somewhat difficult task at times as the sheer number of birds far exceeds that found on the mainland.  As dusk approached each night calls of the ruru (morepork) and little spotted kiwi resounded across the valleys and tree weta scratched in the mahoe along the tracks.  Those who ventured out at night encountered little blue penguins on the rocky beach, and tuatara and kiwi wandering along the tracks.