NZ GeolMast Winter 2010

Final Blog- Kristen Beebe

2010-02-11T15:41:00.001-08:00

Kristen Beebe-
To begin, I have never had a month of my life go by so fast before my trip to
New Zealand. I think the best way to sum up my feelings on my study abroad
trip is that the learning experience I attained was of several different aspects: I
learned so much about the course material in the field, was immersed in a new
culture, and made new friendships through all the hustle and bustle of traveling
across New Zealand.
In particular I was very impressed with the program's focus on having us
experience the native culture of the Maori which was only helped by the
instructors' passion for the country and its peoples. Staying in a marae was eye
opening and seeing the different influences of the culture throughout the
country made the importance of preserving the ancient culture obvious for the
kiwis. From wooden carvings to the jade jewelry sold in almost every store, I
could see how much pride is held in the Maori.
The two classes I took while abroad were perfect for the landscape. I think I
had the best possible experience with the variety of beaches we analyzed and
actually being able to walk on the different types of mountains and volcanoes
made the material come to life. There is definitely no other place in the world
that could have been better suited for the course material.
A couple of trips and location is best enjoyed include the whale watch and
cathedral cove. Being able to see sperm whales, dusky dolphins, hector
dolphins, seals, and albatross all in one excursion was amazing! Cathedral cove
was one of my favorite beaches because it encompassed both courses well. We
had to hike a good 45 minutes to reach the picturesque beach, but when we
arrived it was definitely worth it! We were able to see different geological
formations (sea cave, arch, and stack) and some interesting fauna (sting rays
and urchins!!). Plus, there was a rocky intertidal zone on one side of the beach
where I noted limpets and some gastropods. As well, the scene was
breathtaking and the experience was one in a million! I loved that beach!!
However, at the end of each day, after all the adventures and learning, I made
new friends that will share special memories which are completely irreplaceable.
I am so so so grateful for this experience and will never let these days leave my
memory.

Thank you for everything guys!!!!

Final Blog- Jessi Wenke

2010-02-11T05:37:00.001-08:00

Jessi Wenke

This has been a difficult blog to write, as our last it brings a sense of finality to the adventure. I have dreamed of and plotted and planned for a trip like this for more than 20 years and the end of it is bittersweet. It was everything I dreamed it would be and more. What more beautiful of a country could one hope to visit? What a more fantastic group of people? When I first saw the familiar constellation of Orion upside down, I think I realized how far from home I was, but to look up and see stars I had never seen before was incredible and standing outside of the Marae, I think I realized what I had ahead of me. I enjoyed the constant movement, though I have to say it was hard keeping to an itinerary. It was great fun to wake up in a new town with new sights to see every day, but it would have been wonderful to have spent more time in certain locations and some places it was hard to leave.

I had high aspirations for what I hope to accomplish during the course of this trip and I have been able to live up to many of these. I feel I truly got to understand the feel for the country just being out there and talking to many different people. The locals are so laid back and have an overwhelming pride in their culture and history and are willing to share with anyone who will ask. The ladies at the Marae were indescribably outgoing. They offered me coffee, put me to work in the kitchen and told me all about their land, their family and their plans for the future of the Marae. One of my favorite people in the country was a cashier at the Uni-Mart, who insisted I check out the Raggamuffin festival in Rotarua (sadly I didn't) and I'll never forget a conversation with a busdriver in Tauranga; he and I compared and contrasted schnitzel and a cheesesteak! And how could I forget Stu? I loved listening to his stories as we traveled on the coach; he truly gave me an appreciation of Kiwi humor and their zeal for living life.

I had hoped to apply myself to our studies at hand but I found, and not regrettable so, that there was so much to take in; the sights, the sounds and even smells, that oftentime I was more distracted than focused on schoolwork. It was part of what was so enchanting about the trip, I suppose. We would go to study a beach and you could be sidetracked by something as small as a shell stuck in a rock, or the fragrance of teatree in the air, or the sound of a tui that you just can't seem to locate…I found my interests to be more general than I had supposed them to be. Of course the geology was remarkable, but I found I was just as interested in the native flowers as the volcanoes and when we observed a beach, I spent more time watching critters than wave periods.

I feel like I had the most troubles with social issues. Maybe I put too much emphasis on my age when the age itself is not the problem; rather the problem lies more with my unfamiliarity with college culture. I felt like I fell into a generation gap (more like chasm) and suddenly I felt surprising old and out of place. Not a feeling I'm familiar with. I truly felt like I was just starting college as a freshman. I was very uncomfortable living in close quarters with strangers, not knowing the popular music, movies, slang, celebrities or just happenings on campus…even where everyone else were strangers to start, they all seemed to have some common ground to fall back on and I was clueless to it! The open-door policy and dining hall meals at the University even took a lot of getting used to. These were obstacles I knew I had ahead, but I had hoped to be able to cope better with them.

All in all it was one of the best five weeks of my life. I got to meet 27 of the most interesting students on UD's campus. I didn't have a chance to get to know everyone very well, but I tried to get to know a little about everyone and each and every person on our trip was a fascinating, dynamic, extraordinary individual with such unique hopes and dreams and plans for the future. I was privileged to be instructed by three of the most enthusiastic and engaging instructors who all went far beyond the call of duty to make our trip not just instructive but entertaining and memorable. As I continue to unpack I find that I have to remind myself of where I was last week. It seems almost surreal now, that I was so far away. Then I go to my computer and pore over a ridiculously large file of pictures. Pictures of blue seas, and black beaches and dolphins jumping strait out to the horizon and I close my eyes, smile and think, "Yeah, I was there and it was a beautiful thing!"

Final Blog- Emily Cahoon

2010-02-09T04:26:00.001-08:00

Emily Cahoon
Final Blog Assignment

Visiting New Zealand was one of the best experiences of my life. Before and during the trip I wanted to see as much of the nation as I could and see active volcanics. White Island and the Tongariro Crossing were my two favorite trips of the program; I have never been so close to an active breathing volcano.
My biggest challenges both physically and emotionally was probably the seasickness I felt on every boat I went on. This is strange because never in my life have I had a problem on boats. This occurred slightly on the trip to White Island and the ferry ride between the North and South Island; however it was excruciating during a deep sea fishing trip and the whale watch. My only regret was getting so sick on that trip because I really wanted to enjoy the sea life.
I was pleasantly surprised by how many activities we got to do with the program. When it came to the free weekend it was hard to decide where to go because we got to participate in so many things through the program itself. Zorbing, black water rafting, canyon swinging, and a whale watch were all built in and activities that I am so happy to have done.
If I could tell myself one thing before I left it would be to beware; because this trip went so much faster than my last two five week study abroad programs. By the end of the other two I went on I was definitely ready to come home at the fifth week. During my stay in New Zealand I was never ready to come, especially to this blizzard! I hope to go back sometime soon!

Lyons Final Blog

2010-02-08T22:49:00.001-08:00

Brianna Lyons
Final Blog

Whenever someone asks me about my trip to New Zealand, the only short answer I can come up with is that it was amazing, and I want to go back. There is no way I can explain to them
(in any reasonable amount of time) the sensations of walking on White Island, the closeness forged with people I didn't know before the trip, or the constant but varied beauty of the
country. Besides expanding my knowledge of coastal life and geologic processes, I also learned a lot about myself, and changed in ways I never considered. I've always been somewhat
of a homebody; I'm content to stay inside -or maybe under a tree- and read a book, and not particularly driven to go out and explore. I will admit that I wondered to myself as we
gathered in Philly if I really wanted to go through with this study abroad (not that I really considered backing out). I'm not sure if it's because of the country, the program, or just the
people that I travelled with during the month, but I have definitely developed a case of wanderlust. I was one of those people who could overpack in the name of having things "just in
case," but now all I want to do is grab a day bag and a duffel with a few changes of clothes, and head out.

Before the trip, I looked forward to seeing the interaction of Maori and Pakeha cultures. The influences of the two were evident for me to see throughout the country, from the silver
fern, jade, and English pubs, to the ever present "fush and chups." I will say that the venerable Bishop Pompallier and his serpent guides struck me as an especially interesting mix at the
marae though.
My focus on taking pictures of New Zealand birds fell a bit short, as either my skill or the lenses on my cameras didn't produce many quality shots. My desire to photograph the trip in
general might have gone a little overboard though; from PHL, January 2nd to PHL, February 4th, I took over 4 thousand photos.
A huge thank you goes out to everyone on and involved with this trip for making it the amazing experience that it was; keep in touch, and let's go back!

Final Blog- Kevin Crum

2010-02-08T19:31:00.001-08:00

Kevin Crum

This trip was one of the most exciting and enjoyable experiences of my entire
life. I was able to see and do more than I could have possibly imagined in just a
month. Beyond learning about the biology and geology of the country, I was
able to experience its culture and learn its history. There were many firsts for
me on this trip: first time scuba diving in the ocean, first time zorbing, first time
deep sea fishing, first time through international security, first time kayaking,
first time at a Marae and much more. I am glad to say that I left the country
with much more life experience than I entered with (as well as more academic
knowledge, of course).

I have lots of pictures of all of the major events (ie. scuba diving and the
Tongariro crossing) of the trip to help me remember them by. But I found that I
returned home notes about what made the day interesting from a day to day
basis, even when nothing exciting happened. These included things like:
ordering a lemonade and getting what seemed to be Sprite, realizing tire was
spelled with a "y", and tasting Mountain Dew and noticing that it did not taste
the same as at home. Something interesting happened every day.

I am glad I did this study during winter session. Over the month I was able to
see a great deal and enjoy the whole experience. However, the constant travel
and excitement was a bit draining, so the trip would have become stressful if it
had lasted a great deal longer than it did. Also, this leaves me with more that I
want to do in New Zealand and a great reason to go back one day, if I get the
chance.

Final Blog- Katy Ames

2010-02-08T17:25:00.001-08:00

Final Blog Entry

Katy Ames

I have been putting off this blog entry because I cannot summarize my experiences in New Zealand no matter how hard I try. It was amazing, way beyond any expectations I had. Not only did I learn how to identify different beach types and many different inhabitants of New Zealand's coast, I also learned how to do the Haka Pōwhiri, how to bungee jump, and I tried a lot of new and interesting food. I learned that pictures could not capture the beauty and vastness of the New Zealand landscapes, especially on the Tongariro crossing.

During the trip I met amazing people from our group, the people from the Māori tribe, the "brain trust", Craig Cary (he and his colleges identified the Pompeii worm as the most heat tolerant higher order animal on earth), all of the guest lectures, and our fearless driver Stu. I cannot wait for any reunions that we have, and I will jump on any opportunity to go back to New Zealand (possibly for grad school). However, even though I know I want to go back it won't be the same as this trip. It will not be shared with the same group of people, and it won't be at the same enjoyable pace. It will be painful sitting in a normal classroom and not on Raglan beach or on the top of Rangitoto.

A herd of turtles marauding through a field of peanut butter. Drawling by Emily Olson

Final Blog- Brittany Schieler

2010-02-08T17:24:00.003-08:00

Brittany Schieler

Final Blog Assignment

Did I really complete an 18.5km walk over volcanic terrain? Better yet, was I really on an active marine volcano, ready to erupt at any moment? And was I really THAT close to seals and penguins? Reflecting back on the trip's highlights, evident by the close to one thousand pictures I have, it's already beginning to feel unreal. This past month in New Zealand has been one of the most incredible experiences of my life and one that I will take with me throughout the rest of my college career and beyond.

I definitely met the goals I had set for myself before arriving in Auckland. I wanted to know as much about New Zealand as possible. During this month, I have learned so much about the country of New Zealand, its history, the lifestyles of the natives, and Maori culture. I have also learned a lot about New Zealand's unique environment and it's incredible biology and geology. The first day we were asked to try to identify the shell species on the beach I was so lost and thought it was an impossible task. Towards the end of the trip, I was able to identify almost any shell I saw. I also learned more geology in one month than I ever thought possible.

In addition to all the things I have learned about New Zealand, I feel I have learned a lot about myself and my capabilities. I learned how to cope without some conveniences we take for granted like cell phones, internet, ketchup, and my own bathroom. I have also learned how to take risks and do things that are outside my comfort zone. From the day I jumped off the big rock at Cathedral Cove, I allowed myself to try things I normally wouldn't like zorbing, kayaking in the dark, and doing the Tongariro Crossing.

I think one of the best learning experiences for me during this trip was the free weekend. Me and seven others spent our free weekend in the beautiful city of Tauranga. During those four days, our small group was forced to figure out our travel, meals, accommodations, and activities on our own. This unstructured time lead us to be more interactive with the locals and all that New Zealand has to offer. The first thing a few of us did on the free weekend was night kayaking through a canyon filled glow worms. Even though we had seen glow worms already, this was a completely different experience. Sitting on the beautiful river in the dark, in a kayak listening to stories and history from the local guide was a breathtaking experience. Among other things our free weekend contained, me and two others from the group went SCUBA diving on a reef. This was one of my favorite parts of the trip. As a new diver, being able to dive among lush kelp beds and colorful fish was another incredible experience.

The time spent in New Zealand has meant so much to me in many different respects. In addition to learning so much about such a fascinating country, I learned a lot about myself and what I am capable of. I also was fortunate to share these wonderful experiences with new friends.

Final Blog- Royce Jones

2010-02-08T17:24:00.001-08:00

My adventures in New Zealand have meant more to me
than I ever imagined they would. For the rest of my life I
will reflect back on my experiences there and the friendships
I've made. Traveling from place to place made it difficult to
settle in and get use to the changes, but I feel that I
adapted well. With help from each other we all made these
transitions much easier. Looking back on my goals I had
coming into the trip, I feel that I met many of them. To sky
dive was one of the most important, and I don't think I will
ever experience something like that in my life again. The
house we rented for the weekend right on the beach was
incredible, I have never stayed at a place right on the beach
and who would have known it would be in New Zealand right on
the water, with Mt. Maunganui down the coast. As the trip
went on I started to realize any new experience was an
experience worth having. I was willing to try anything and
I'm glad I did so many wonderful things.
I feel that some of the biggest challenges on my trip
were convincing mentally to sky dive, and jump out of a
perfectly good plane. I would have regretted it forever if I
hadn't tried though. Going without internet and phone for so
long seemed like it would have been tough, but it was not
nearly as bad as I would have imagined. Having such a great
group of friends, great books, and cards were all I needed to
be content on down time. It had crossed my mind a few times
that I may get home sick, but not until we got on the plane in
Christchuch did I realize I wasn't home sick at all, but that
I was getting sad to leave the beautiful country I called home
for a month. I could have stayed many more months and enjoyed
every minute of it.
Since I have never been outside America, let alone
outside the Eastern Time zone, I was ready to see what a
different country would be like. There were some clear
differences but I came to find that people are still just
living to the best of their ability and enjoying themselves
when they can. People in New Zealand seem much more laid
back, which I very much so enjoyed. All the people I met from
Stu, to a man in NZ army named Steve, the Maouri people, and
all the other different people, I learned so much from.
Although I learned a great deal about geology and biology from
Art and Doug it was the things they taught us about traveling
and finding the really interesting things about a place that
most tourists wouldn't take notice to that I am most happy
with. Our professors really helped us learn from ourselves,
from what we like to eat and the activities we like to take
part in, all helped us find within us what we are really like.
I could not have imagined going on any other study
abroad program. This was the one for me and the people for
me. I will share my stories for many many years to come of
the winter of 2010 when I ventured off to New Zealand.
Thanks Art, Adam, and Doug

Final Blog Assignment

2010-02-08T14:39:00.001-08:00

Addison Reid

As I look back on my time in New Zealand, I realize just how much I have taken away from this trip. I started this journey looking to experience a new culture and to see all the wildlife that New Zealand had to offer but I gained so much more. Not only have I learned about the culture of New Zealanders, I feel that I have embraced the lifestyle. I have returned to the States with more of a "live in the moment" attitude and a better understanding of how Americans are portrayed abroad. I walk away from this experience with a new approach to beaches and the species that live in the surrounding habitats. It will be hard for me to see a beach and not classify the sediment size and breaker type and no longer will I see a shell and not think of what used to live in it.
If I could have given advice to myself before going on this incredible journey, I would have told myself to take advantage of every opportunity given to me, no matter what the obstacle or adventure awaits me. I have been given the opportunity of a lifetime and these adventures such as zorbing and cliff hanging may never be available to me again. This trip has opened my eyes to all the amazing things that this world has to offer and it has encouraged me to take advantage of opportunities to travel the world.

2010-02-08T12:39:00.001-08:00

Final Blog Assignment
-Rob Gardiner

This trip to New Zealand has undoubtedly been one of the best five weeks of my life. I made memories everyday that will remain with me forever. Over the course of the month I learned so much more than just the geology and biology of New Zealand. I learned about a culture I had no idea even existed (the Maori) and am now fascinated by their history and proudly wear one of their beautiful carvings around my neck. I also learned a lot more about myself than I had ever imagined I would while studying abroad.
I've been stuck on this next sentence for a long time now because I really can't put into words how special and truly life changing this trip was. This blog and my photos can't capture how amazing a time I had. If I could go back and re-do the entire trip there is really not one moment I would change. The people who I got to experience everything with made the time spent in New Zealand that much better. I fell in love with New Zealand and the only thing helping me get through this snow storm is the possibility of going back someday. In fact, at one of the last hostels we stayed in I picked up some papers about seasonal work in the summer after graduation. However, it came to mind that as many times as I do go back to Aotearoa and no matter how many amazing things I see while there, it will in no way compare to our trip simply because I will not have the same group of people to experience it with. Since I've been home I've been seriously affected by jet lag which has l!
!
eft me with nothing else to do but go through the 700 photos I took and relive every moment. A large number of these photos were taken during the Tongariro Crossing. The crossing was probably the most challenging walk I have ever done and will ever do. After hiking for 5 and a half hours up steep inclines with lose rock, everything else seems easy. The sense of accomplishment I felt after the crossing was second only to how I felt when I landed after skydiving. I'll end it here before I begin to start rambling off stories about the trip which could take forever.
Thank you to everybody who was involved in this trip (including those people back in New Zealand) for being part of one of the best times of my life.

Final Blog- Mike Kelly

2010-02-08T11:20:00.000-08:00

Michael Kelly 2/8/10

Final Blog Assignment

Overall, I would have to say that the trip to New Zealand was an amazing endeavor that taught me a great deal about the different places, people, and myself. Having been thrown into totally new surroundings with people I have never met before was to say the least, an interesting experience. My initial goals entering the trip were to learn about the geology and biology of New Zealand's coasts, but the learning went far beyond what was taught by professors. I would have to say that I learned far more than I had hoped, especially about the cultures and people of New Zealand. It was really eye opening to learn from the Maori and native Kiwis that gave me a fresh perspective on life. The most challenging aspect of the trip was accommodating the needs of other people and attempting to understand their points of view in context of their diverse backgrounds and social/cultural past. I found this to be applicable to not just the people of New Zealand, but with my fellow students. Over the course of the trip I felt that I really learned a lot about myself, who I am and perhaps more importantly who I am not. I found that in my opinion I am much more tolerant and understanding of new people, ideas, and situations than most others. Being able to cope with new situations and take care of myself was also something that really became apparent to me. I was proud of my ability to learn about new places, how they function, and how to take care of my needs.

My perceptions of New Zealand were only strengthened and improved from my trip there. The great cultural heritage and history was to me quite amazing and the pride and importance New Zealanders have in their cultural history reinforced my respect for their great nation. Coming back to the states, I have found that things seem to be must faster paced and oriented around more superficial things. The trip also has really made me aware of how few people appreciate and utilize the outdoors here at home. Yes, people at home love the beach and beautiful landscapes, but fail to understand the importance of these places in a manner that transcends the obvious physical attributes.

If I were able to talk to myself being going to New Zealand there are many things I would like to say. First off, be careful jumping fences or try to avoid them all together (since I sprained my ankle pretty bad). On a more serious note, I would advise myself to be more outgoing, utilize my free time to take the path less traveled and take advantage of the amazing, unique things New Zealand has to offer. Anyone can be a tourist, but to really experience a place you have to make the effort to do so. In my future travels I hope to be more outgoing, willing to take risks and be outside my 'comfort zone' to really experience a new place and learn the most that I can.

Final Blog- Christine MacDonald

2010-02-08T03:48:00.001-08:00

Christine MacDonald

This trip surpassed all my expectations and I am still in shock that it is over. For
starters this experience challenged me in many ways. First, I was challenged
intellectually because I have no experience with geology and was thrown into
the field with all these unfamiliar rocks and processes. I had to rise to the
occasion. Secondly, I was challenged socially because I knew absolutely no one
before the trip and I came back with great friends. This study aboard also
challenged me culturally because spending a month in another country opened
my eyes to a different way of life and a different way of living. This trip was
physically challenging with all the hikes and especially the Tangaura Crossing. I
would never think of myself climbing hundreds of feet up steep mountains for
10 miles! Lastly this trip made me face my fears. Consider bungee jumping.
Never would I ever have voluntarily jumped off a ledge face first heading to the
ground, but I did and I'm proud of it.
This trip also changed my perception of the world. Never could I have imagined
in my wildest dreams that a place could be so beautiful and diverse, and I have
always thought I had a pretty good imagination! New Zealand showed me there
is a wider world out there that can be explored and can open my eyes to things I
never thought possible. For example, crawling through black caves with glow
worms was surreal. It makes me eager to see other parts of the world because I
know there is so much I still don't know but could yet discover.
If I could have talked to myself before I left, I would have told myself three
things. One is to take about half of what I packed in my suitcase because I
wouldn't need it. Second, I would remind myself to take advantage of every
opportunity presented because I wouldn't know when if ever I might have the
chance to do any of this again. Also I would tell myself to remember to soak it
all in and appreciate what I was doing while I was doing it. For example, stop
and really look at Cathedral Cove and take in all its beauty to make sure I will
never, never forget.
The thing that surprised me most were the locals. They were the nicest people.
They were always helpful and never had an attitude or seemed bothered by our
perhaps silly questions. However, when it came to night life, the Kiwi guys were
creepy which really threw me off. We had a joke that they were like flies, always
hovering and impossible to get to go away. Another interesting thing about New
Zealand that surprised me was the lack of wildlife. They really only have
possums (which they try to kill all time), sheep, cats, and dogs. It is really the
land of the birds.
Overall, I think I reached my goals for this trip. I was outgoing and put myself
out there to make friends. Also, I didn't shy away from opportunities. I swam at
every beach, did black cave water rafting, went bungee jumping, ate scallop
reproductive organs and much more. It is crazy to think that in one month I
have done more than some people achieve in a lifetime! I experienced many
cultural activities native to New Zealand, such as dancing and singing at the
Mauri. I also learned more about geology and marine biology than I expected. I
am excited now to go back to work this summer and be able to tell the rest of
my lifeguard patrol about coastal features and processes and why the beach
looks the way it does.
All in all this experience changed me as a person. I have grown as a student, a
friend, and a person as a whole. After this trip I have so many more goals in life,
more places I want to travel to and learn about. This experience really showed
me that I have only experienced a limited amount of life and the world. I want to
travel to places off the beaten path and learn about different cultures because
overall it would make me a better person in the end—more understanding,
more accepting. The only regret I have is that I didn't take motion sickness
medicine on the whale watch. Other than that, I wouldn't have changed the trip
or the people for anything or anybody. It was the best month of my life. I just
hope the rest of my life can live up to it. Thanks Art and Doug!!

Christine MacDonald
University of Delaware

Final Blog Entry

2010-02-07T21:52:00.000-08:00

Bobby Winters

The trip to New Zealand was easily one of my favorite experiences of all time. I spent the entire 2 hour car ride homeward bound trying to tell my parents about all of the awesome things that we got to do while we were in New Zealand. One of the things that made the trip so cool was the fact that we travelled together with a nicely sized group of new faces which quickly turned into good friends as we were able to experience together all the amazing things that can be found only in New Zealand.

I would like to say that I met my objectives from before the trip started. I experienced the unique culture of New Zealand through both the Marae stay and by just being out and about in the cities and towns that we visited. I think that my views have also changed a little bit too. I’ve gotten so used to living in the U.S. and seeing the same people all the time around UD and my hometown. It was really amazing to get to see how much more is really out there in the world all though we were only in one country. I have been to Europe a few times before, but what makes this trip so much different was the amount of time that we spent in New Zealand. It really allowed me to experience and see so much more of the culture and environments that can be found which definitely gave me better insight.

Arriving in PHL on Jan 2, I really did not know what we were about to go through. The thing I knew for certain was that we would be spending some time looking at the geology and biology found on the shores of New Zealand. And of course the trip included that along with so much more. In the first day alone, we had travelled in a boat from Auckland to Rangitoto (after driving up to the top of Mt. Eden) where we were able to look into a huge crater of a shield volcano which was pretty crazy. Then we broke off to explore a little bit of Auckland which was a brand new city for everybody. And we spent our first night in a hostel which I’m sure was new for a lot of us. Basically the whole first day was spent exploring, which would turn out to be the mold for the rest of the trip. We spent a night with some Maori people, which turned out to be one of my favorite activities. We made our way to the Bay of Islands where we got to take a boat all the way through the “Hole in the Rock.” We had a pretty cool experience at Hot Water Beach and then spent a lot of time exploring Cathedral Cove all in one day. We even sailed out to White Island where we stepped into an active volcano expected to erupt every ten years (it was year 10, of course).

I’m going to stop there because you know the rest, but just about everywhere else that we went offered a new place to explore, a new place to learn, and a new place to strengthen friendships. And it’s for these reasons that I was able to get the most out of our trip to New Zealand. It was really tough to say good bye to New Zealand for the time being, but I look forward to staying in touch with everybody in Newark and I know that I would absolutely take an opportunity to go back.

Emily Olson - Final Blog Assignment

2010-02-07T20:33:00.001-08:00

I spent a month in Middle Earth. No, make that Narnia. Or maybe it was a place made for Heavenly Creatures, or perhaps it was the territory of a pair of Concords. Or maybe, just maybe, I spent one of the best months of my life in one of the best places on planet Earth – New Zealand. I've traveled to many places in the world, and one or two of them have made me question my desire to return home. New Zealand didn't offer me that question; it grabbed me by the wrist and demanded that I stay there for as long as it could keep its hold on me. Because of that, walking onto the plane to LA was one of the hardest decisions I made. Not only because I love the country so much, but because being disconnected from my normal life for a month made me question what I was really doing. If I had stayed, let go of what I'd been told was the right path for me to take, the accepted course of action, would I have become a spiritually richer and more complete person? Or would I have crashed and burned and come crawling back to my family and friends in the United States? I stepped on that plane and returned as I should have, though, so I don't know the answer – at least I won't until I return as a backpacker, which I am determined to do. It seems like this trip was a dream – I left dead trees and snow behind, and then I came back to the same thing, making the month inbetween feel like it never happened. I've left New Zealand for now, but New Zealand will never leave me – Aeotearoa, the Land of the Long White Cloud, its people, its nature, its heart and soul will be with me forever, and will keep pulling me back for the rest of my life.

But enough with the philosophical stuff. I had a great time, I met great people, and learned a lot about similar and different cultures all on one tiny landmass. The feeling of walking into Cathedral Cove was one thing I will never forget, as is pushing myself to do the 18.5km of the Tongariro Crossing, which in the end was worth more to me than I could have ever dreamed – from the times I was left speechless by the scenery to the moments I thought I was going to die! Every second of every minute of every day was spectacular, even the times when I was tired, stressed out, or frustrated. I learned in class, out of class, about myself, and about other people. It was a strange feeling waking up the Friday after we landed and not being in a room with 7 other people and all of their luggage, but I guess I'll get used to it soon enough. I'll always have the pictures, the memories, the friends I made, the knowledge I gained, and the desire and will to return. One of the most important things I learned was to let myself have fun, and that I can do anything as long as I have the willpower to see it through. I've taken those lessons home with me, and I will take them back to New Zealand the next time I step on those fair shores, however soon or distant that may be. I'm just grateful that this trip was made possible, so thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to everyone who had a hand in creating it and everyone who shared it with me.

Amanda DePasquale - Final Blog

2010-02-07T16:39:00.001-08:00

Amanda DePasquale – Final Blog
This trip has left me speechless. I can't even begin to explain to people how awesome it was. I never imagined that I would do all of the different things that I did in one month. This trip has meant so much to me. The opportunities that it has given me were unlike any other opportunities I have ever had, and I'm so happy to have taken them.
Before I came, I was interested in learning about the Maori culture and learning the haka. I learned the woman's version of the haka, and watched the men perform their version. I also learned a lot about them from just talking to the people that lived in the marae. The other goal I had was to learn about the geology and biology of New Zealand. I can say that I successfully did that. I feel confident in identifying beach states, shells, wave types, sediments, and plants in coastal environments. I saw sea stars, crabs, and even penguins in their natural habitats. I saw a beach made of very fine grain black magnetic sand. I even took some home.
My goals increased as the trip progressed. I wanted to see more, experience more, do more. I made sure to take advantage of any opportunity that we were given, like the black water rafting in the glow worm caves and zorbing. Although they cost money, I am so happy that I did them. I took every opportunity I had to see things also. I went hiking up Mt. Maunganui at night with some students, which was incredible. The views were just breathtaking.
As for challenges, there really weren't any huge ones on the trip for me. I have studied abroad before, so I was not homesick. Physically, my body was quite sore after the Tongariro crossing, but no pain no gain right? Emotionally, my grandpa passed away during the last week of our stay in New Zealand, and it was so hard for me to be away from my family at that tough time.
But on a lighter note, my perception of New Zealand is natural. It is so overgrown and untouched that it is amazing. I felt like I was in Jurassic Park because the ferns were HUGE. Not only that, the amount of different environments in New Zealand are incredible. There were beaches, forests, rain forests, sand dunes, volcanoes, pastures, mountains... you name it New Zealand probably has it. The islands are so natural and clean, full of biology and geology.
If I could talk to myself before the trip, I would tell myself to get ready for the experience of a lifetime. Be prepared to see the most beautiful place in the world, in which pictures cannot capture the awesomeness of it. My experience in New Zealand has been like no other experience I had before. The places I visited and the things that I did will stay with me forever, and I will continue to tell everyone who asks me about how great it was. I am so happy to have had such a fantastic experience here, and to make some great friends. This trip has opened my eyes, and I am even considering spending more time in New Zealand after I graduate from UD.

Katherine Fochesto Blog

2010-02-07T14:51:00.000-08:00

Katherine Fochesto
Final Blog Assignment
February 6, 2010

My experience in New Zealand was one that I will never forget. We did so
many cool and interesting things and traveled to so many great places. It truly
was the most beautiful place in the world. Everywhere I looked, I felt like I was
looking at a postcard. I learned so much about the culture of New Zealand,
particularly the Maori culture, and about the geology and biology of the
coastlines.
The night before I left for New Zealand, I was so anxious and excited. I
couldn't wait to get there and start on our journey around the country. I didn't
know much about New Zealand and I was so excited to see a place that was on
the other side of the world. As the days went by, the group of students got
really close. I think being together every day and every night and experiencing
such amazing things with each other brought us together and made us really
enjoy each other's company. I know that we will remain friends because we are
bonded by our amazing experiences in New Zealand.
I really enjoyed the White Island tour. Being on an active volcano was something
I never thought I would do. It was amazing seeing something like that up close
and getting to explore it. I remember standing on the island looking around at
the steam vents and at the blue water around the island and thinking how lucky
we were to be able to visit such a cool place. I also enjoyed jumping off the boat
with everyone after the tour and seeing the dolphins swimming around our
boat. I have never seen dolphins in the wild that close and it was so fun to stand
on the boat and watch them jump in the boat's waves.
Black water rafting and seeing the glowworms in the caves was another one of
my favorite activities. I wasn't sure what to expect when I heard we had the
choice to go black water rafting but I am definitely glad that I chose to give it a
try. It was so cool to be so far underground, walking around in amazing caves
and seeing glowworms while floating around in rafts. It was interesting to see
the geological aspects of the caves. Learning about caves in a textbook would
definitely not be as interesting or exciting as that day!
The Tongariro Crossing was one of the activities we were told about during the
interest meetings. I had never been hiking and I had never even done anything
of such a long distance before. I was nervous about being able to finish the
crossing because I knew it was challenging. As we got closer to the day of the
crossing, we were all a little worried about what it was going to be like. It turned
out to be my favorite day of the trip. The weather was perfect and we started
the hike at 10 am. As we walked, I ended up with five other people who were
around the same pace as I was. We stayed together the whole day and had an
amazing time. The scenery was incredible and we stopped to take pictures and
soak in the scenery many times. The challenge of the hike made it exciting and
we encouraged each other throughout the day. When we finally made it to the
end, we were all so proud of what we had just accomplished.
One of the important goals I set for myself at the beginning of the trip was to
fully immerse myself in a culture that I didn't know much about. Throughout
the month, I feel that I really accomplished that goal. The trip started with us
wandering around Auckland in shock that we were finally in New Zealand. The
marae stay was one of the coolest things we could have done, in my opinion.
We basically got to see what it is like to live with these families. We learned
about their culture in a way that is not visible by just hearing about it in stories.
I will never forget the pride that family had in their eyes when we performed the
haka for them. They looked so happy that another culture took the time to learn
something that has been so important to their people for hundreds of years. I
really tried to go all out during the month and try lots of new things, even little
things. Instead of getting a Diet Coke, I ordered L & P. Rather than getting a
burger for lunch, I ordered the fish and chips or steak and cheese pie. It made
me feel as though I was taking full advantage of my time in New Zealand and
living as the Kiwis do. I also discovered my obsession with Tim Tams, which I
brought back with me to the US.
The month went by so quickly, but I have so many great memories to share with
my friends and family at home. Skydiving, bungee jumping, black water rafting
and a 19 km hike are all things I never thought I would do, let alone do them in
a place as beautiful as New Zealand. Now I have accomplished so much and I
feel so happy and grateful to have had the opportunity to spend a month
traveling around and exploring New Zealand.

Final Blog- Brett Friedberg

2010-02-07T13:55:00.000-08:00

Brett Friedberg - Final Blog
What does this trip mean to me? It's hard to even start. Before we left, I didn't know what to expect from the trip. I had looked over the itinerary a couple of times, but was unaware of just how many amazing sites we would see on the trip. I try to tell family and friends about the places we have visited, but pictures and words never do it much justice. I found it hard to explain things like Tane Mahuta and the importance it has to the Maori people. You just had to be there. Or the Tongariro Crossing, I tried my best to take pictures to show everyone how beautiful the hike was, but again, the pictures didn't do much justice compared to actually hiking it. It makes me wonder about the rest of the world and how I have only seen pictures of 97% of it. If this trip did nothing else, it made me want to see more of the world through my own eyes. Anyway, back to New Zealand.
Not only did we just visit so many sites and enjoy the view, but actually were able to learn about how they came to be this way or why certain organisms were able to thrive there. I think this gave the trip much more meaning than if I had traveled there by myself. Coming in, I thought I would know most of the biology since I was myself a biology major, but I quickly realized this was not the biology I had been taught at UD. As for the geology, my vocabulary was small including words like rock and ocean, but Art, Doug, and Adam have given me a wealth of knowledge on these subjects that I have been able to take back home with me. Next time I'm at a beach, I'm sure I will banter on about the geology features and the types of shells to whoever is with me. I'm very appreciative to think of different sites and have more going through my head than "beautiful" or "so great". Instead, I can think of a place and think about how the sand got there and why it's the size it is, or "man, I know how that arch was formed!"
How about the culture in New Zealand? This was essentially the first trip out of the country for me, so I was anxious excited about finally seeing a new place. Between the fish and chips, fried oyster, ready to go sandwiches, sausage, their attempt at bacon, cafes, thai food, or the no tipping policy getting lunch was always interesting. Public restrooms: What a great concept! Although I do not think they would be so clean and without issues in many parts of our own country. People we encountered daily were always quick to say hello and ask about your time in New Zealand, always being friendly and warm-hearted. How about the Marae stay? They were some of the nicest people I have met. Their wonderful culture gave everyone a chance to see how natural and unique some people in the world live.
After such an exciting and happy journey, leaving everyone at the Philadelphia airport was a weird feeling. Over the month, we had spent so much time together and become such good friends, it did not seem like anyone was ready to end the trip. Most of us had recently met each other, but in the little time we were together, we did some of the most amazing things we will ever do in our lifetime. In the process, I made great friends I hope to continue to stay close with so we can relive and talk about all the great times we had in New Zealand and hopefully make some new ones. In my final blog I have decided to make my top 10 most memorable moments of the trip. (obviously the list could go on and on)
1. Swimming into the caves at Cathedral Cove.
2. Tongariro Crossing
3. The haka
4. Skydiving
5. Climbing mount "manganunu" in pitch black darkness
6. Whale Watching excursion
7. Finding the geocache.
8. Trevor eating lamb for the first time.
9. The attempt to find Victoria street the first night in Hamilton which took upwards of three hours.
10. Church visit at the Marae and the casket raising.

Final Blog- Alison Gutsche

2010-02-07T11:22:00.001-08:00

The End of an Incredible Journey (for now)-Alison Gutsche

Looking back at my pictures really showed me that what I saw was so much more amazing than anything I could have caught in any of the thousands of pictures I took. I tried describing the greatness that was White Island and how scared I was when exploring the Waitomo Caves, but I didn't give any of it justice. The good thing about this is that I know how incredible of a country New Zealand is. It really opened my eyes to a whole new world. I had traveled before but never really saw things like volcanoes and hot water beaches. I had seen crazy geological features before like the Grand Canyon and many other things in the western United States and Canada, but none of things affected me like the New Zealand landscape did. While I did sleep on the bus sometimes, I tried to stay awake as much as possible to take it all in. I felt as though I saw things on New Zealand, which is such a small country that cannot be seen on countries as big as the United States. I also know now that I did more things on the first week in New Zealand that the majority of people have done in their entire lives, and that makes me truly happy that I had this experience.

While New Zealand was a beautiful country, it also forced me to get over some of my fears in life. I would never really say I am a person who is scared of heights, but jumping off that bungee platform was one of the hardest things I have ever done. But if I hadn't jumped off that platform, I would have definitely have regretted it, and I didn't want to leave New Zealand with any regrets of not trying things. Also, hiking up and down the loose rocks on the Tongariro crossing was quite a feat, but I don't think I've been happier about completing something in my life. Crossing every corner of the crossing and seeing a different environment was incredible. Another thing that tested me was climbing through the whole in the caves to get to the waterfall. While the waterfall was worth, the whole climb through the tunnel I didn't believe it was, but I am glad I forced myself onward.

In comparing New Zealand to Delaware and other journeys I have taken, New Zealand is definitely number one on my list. Not one time was I homesick throughout the entire trip. I learned more about myself on this trip than I had in all my years of school and other travels and that is how I know it was more than worth it. I know that one day, hopefully within three years, I will be returning to New Zealand, whether it is to do research, or to continue schooling, or to just try out another life. I felt too connected to the country that not returning just isn't an option.

All in all, this experience helped me grow as a person more than I ever would have imagined. I made an amazing group of friends that I wouldn't have traded for any of my friends at home. Coming here not knowing anyone really helped me make friends that I may not have if I already knew people. Overall, I wouldn't have changed anything except for the fact that I wish I brought some Tim Tams home.

final blog assignment - Trevor Anderson

2010-02-06T14:19:00.000-08:00

New Zealand Final Blog – Trevor Anderson
Upon looking back on my/our time in New Zealand, I am astonished at how the trip exceeded all my expectations. It's crazy to think of all the adventures we had and all the activities we accomplished. It hit me last night when I was showing pictures and videos to friends and family, that in one month, I (we) were lucky enough to have done more than some people will ever get the chance to do in their entire lives. We climbed and hiked mountains and volcanoes, rode in a bus on a beach, rode on a boat through a "hole in a rock", swam into underwater caves, made hot tubs on a beach, saw sperm whales and hundreds of dolphins, and went surfing, sandboarding, zorbing, black water rafting, bungee jumping, and skydiving. We even played capture the flag, manhunt, and baseball in a foreign country. That is one impressive list that I'm sure as it made mine, made everyone else's family and friends extremely jealous. It's truly amazing how many feats and goals of mine we have now accomplished, and I am sure everyone else feels the same way. I also feel fortunate for going on a program with such a great group of students and professors. Everyone got along relatively well with everybody, and as someone who came into this trip without knowing really anyone, I am pleased to say I have made great new friends.
Also, as someone who has grown up at the beach, it's amazing how much more I learned about beaches and the coasts. It's funny actually how little I did know about the beach. I can now easily and confidently identify different wave types and beach states, describe the sand and sediments, and can classify a variety of shells as opposed to just calling them all clam or snail shells.
New Zealand has taught me to live life without regrets, to take risks, and to just go for it. If I can skydive and bungee jump I now know there's no obstacle out there that can hold me back. I am pleased and surprised to say that not once on the trip, even with the cultural differences, did I ever feel home sick, but am unfortunately now suffering from New Zealand withdrawal. As am now going through my pictures and videos from New Zealand, it is incredible to see everything we saw, from beautiful landscapes to exotic animals, and to be able to re-live the experience. Our month in New Zealand was the best time of my life!

Re: Rina Binder-Macleod Blogs Entry

2010-02-06T12:41:00.001-08:00

Final Blog Entry

Well, it is all over now…or is it? I feel like what I have experienced and learned through this trip will resonate through my life although the impacts of the trip may be subconscious and I may not attribute my actions to lesions learned while in New Zealand. But, isn't that the learning process? Our thought processes and decision making are a result of previously learned lessons.

In respect to my goals for the trip, I feel like I reached my goals of being able to properly analyze and understand the natural environment. We definitely learned how to analyze the beaches to a degree previously unimaginable! Previous to this trip, I had no idea how many classifications there were for a beach! In addition, on the biology side I never imagined being able to identify shells or marine creatures.

Also, in the academic region, I feel like I learned about prospects of further education in a natural science (potentially going to grad school?). I had never really thought about graduate school, but learning about the research that Art, Doug, and Adam do I am becoming interested in exploring this option for the future. But, who knows? Life is all one big journey; you can't plan too far ahead in the future! I will end on that note, I wish to continue my journey through life learning and exploring. I just have to remember Doug's advice to "keep your feet wet and your eyes open." Bon voyage

2010-02-06T11:05:00.000-08:00

Rachel Schnaitman – Final Blog Post

Reflecting upon my travels through the land of the birds brings back so many amazing memories. Between arriving bleary-eyed at Auckland and leaving Christchurch after our Antarctic adventure I have experienced the time of my life. Being a wildlife conservation major I have a great love and appreciation for nature and animals and my main objective for this trip was to see and learn about things that I could never experience anywhere else in the world. Coming to New Zealand definitely made that dream come true. I got to experience nature at its finest and to see what the last settled country looked like in all its majestic glory. Though I would have liked to spend more time looking at all the flora and fauna New Zealand has to offer, I think I have achieved my goal. I saw so many different bird species that I never would have gotten to see in Delaware unless I was visiting a zoo.

I can't exactly pinpoint the highlight of the trip because what I enjoyed most was the pleasure of experiencing New Zealand for the first time with wide open curious eyes. I really loved all of the new experiences I got to experience in New Zealand and being a first time foreign traveler. I enjoyed the culture, the food, the flora and fauna, the scenery, and so much more. As I look back I wouldn't change anything about the trip. I got to do and experience so much more than I ever dreamed possible and I loved every minute of it. I think this trip has definitely opened my eyes to the world beyond the US and has made me all the more curious and anxious to experience other countries and cultures.

2010-02-06T10:41:00.000-08:00

I think my favorite location that we've visited would have to be Raglan/Whale
Bay. First of all, I was beyond excited to know that I was visiting a world-famous
surf spot. Being a surfer myself, there was a certain kind of excitement that
built up for me as I walked down the hill and gradually caught glimpses of this
massive, black sand surfing beach. I think I actually exclaimed aloud "Oh my
god, this is the biggest beach I've ever seen!"
Not only did this spot appeal to me because I love to surf, but also because I'm a
geology major. Playing with the magnets in this black, magnetic sand was so
fun (and nerdy). I actually made sure I filled up the entire sample bag so I had
enough sand to bring home with me. I love to go to places where I can take what
I've learned in my geology classes and actually think like a geologist. I
immediately began to wonder where the nearest volcano was that produced this
amazing magnetic sand. I was also completely amazed at the grain size of
Raglan's sand. It was so incredibly soft and fine that whenever the wind blew,
gusts of sand blew with it. I just finished my surficial processes class, so I
started to think about the kind of weathering that had to have occurred to cause
the sand to be so fine. I was also really pleased to "read" this beach based on
what Art has taught us. Raglan was a perfect example of a dissipative beach
because it was extremely flat, exposed, and wide with lots of wave energy going
on. I got really excited when Art had us dig that giant hole so he could show us
the heavy magnetic mineral placers formed by storms. It made a lot of sense to
me because I've taken surficial and I was just really pleased to see what I've
learned in real life.
At Whale Bay, I was really interested in the type of rocks that all of the intertidal
species had made their homes on. I'm pretty sure they were just massive chunks
of vesicular basalt and I love when I get the chance to try and identify different
rocks. I especially love New Zealand in general because I've seen so many young,
igneous rocks here, which is a change to what I usually find on the east coast of
the States.
Some cool biology that I noticed at Raglan was these tiny purple shells sitting in
the sand. There weren't very many shells at all on the beach itself, so I was
shocked to see these tiny, delicate, bright purple shells sitting in the black sand.
There were tons of flora and fauna at Whale Bay. I was really happy to have
found the catseye turbo and the two kinds of sea stars. It's funny that the
cushion star was so cool and special to me and it's one of the most common sea
stars in New Zealand. Rocky intertidal zones are just some of the greatest places
to explore and every time I'm at one, I feel like a little kid again, climbing
around at Beavertail Lighthouse in Rhode Island.
I've had some really amazing experiences in New Zealand so far, but I think
Raglan and Whale Bay most successfully stimulated my inner coastal geologist,
marine biologist, surfer, and child.

Final Blog Entry- Christina Liaskos

2010-02-05T16:48:00.000-08:00

Christina Liaskos
Before getting on the plane, everyone told me that I was going to have the time
of my life. It's not that I didn't believe them; it's just that I had no idea to what
extent I would come to appreciate this entire journey. Over the past month, I
have learned so much about myself and the memories I have made are
something I will treasure for the rest of my life. I have seen the most beautiful
places and I have met some amazing people. I became more self aware and
began to realize what it is that I want to do with my life. I feel closer with nature
and with my surrounding environment. I have grown as a person. What else
could I ask for, really? The definite highlight of this entire journey was the
Tongariro Crossing. Never have I ever appreciated the beauty of a landscape so
much as I did that day. That hike was a pretty spiritual experience; I couldn't
help but become emotionally overwhelmed by the view in front of me. That
image will forever be remembered and it is on my bucket list to return in the
future. I am so grateful to have had this opportunity of a lifetime. I hope
everyone else enjoyed it as much as I did.

Sadly The Final Blog

2010-02-05T13:24:00.000-08:00

Ethan Beswick

As I sit here in LAX, all that is left to do is reflect upon the past month, lest I remember that classes start in just a few days. From our Maori visits to hiking the Tongariro Alpine crossing, there has rarely been a dull moment, save for the last few days at the Uni. However, Dull is an imprecise word but I use it because the stresses of the journey morphed constantly and kept the trip constantly interesting. From joy and amazement to practically needing to get away from each other to hiking mountain passes and sleeping (err… studying!) on beaches, we have seen a rollercoaster of every part of our senses over this past month. This is not to say that this trip wasn't an exceptional experience, for it is the ardors of travel that make the situations so memorable.

Before departure, I had made a point to sample the delicacies of the Land of the Long White Cloud, but only after starting to understand the locals and viewing the heralded sights that these small islands have to offer. I feel that all of these goals were achieved to a degree that I could never have imagined, but let's be honest, you can never have enough good food, so I will work on that again next time I visit. The bond of cultures in New Zealand is an exceptional combination that has rarely been seen over the years and the sights and sounds and smells should be experienced by all lest we forget what true beauty actually is. It must not be forgotten the numerous facts and information that I learned from the classes, which is particularly important to me as I truly felt like the stupidest person for 10000 miles when I heard many people discuss the material very early on.

This trip has shown me a lot of New Zealand but it has also revealed things about myself and others. This will most likely be one of my last opportunities to travel in such a large group, which has been an experience, but what I will miss is the insightful discussions, lectures, experiences, and information that Art, Doug, Adam, Stu, and every other helpful Kiwi we found was more than willing to share with us. I have found that it is rarely what you see but in what context and who you share it with, and I am glad that my first experience was with all of you, and you all have the desire to come back and explore the South Island as much as I do.

We will be the heard of turtles marauding through a field of peanut butter forever.

BBC News - New Zealand girl, 14, uses body-board to fend off shark

2010-02-02T04:38:00.000-08:00

That's one tough and resourceful kiwi girl.

BBC News - New Zealand girl, 14, uses body-board to fend off shark

Group Stop Blog Entry- Royce Jones

2010-01-27T05:02:00.001-08:00

Royce Jones

Hot Water Beach

I knew when i woke up that morning today was going to be a interesting

and fun day. We had plans of going to Hot Water Beach and Cathedral Cove.

Since i had done a blog assignment in November for Cathedral Cove i knew the

area some what and was excited. After hearing about Hot Water Beach i was

even more excited to see what it was all about. I admit i did not realize it was

so much of a tourist attraction but i started to realize when we got there i was

not one of them. I felt more like an academic, not just coming to learn the ways

in which the tourist were able to enjoy the natural processes giving them man

made hot tubs. I also imagined building a 4 or 5 foot deep hot tub filled with

bubbling water and seats i could build. Just my fickle imagination. It was still

fun trying to build a suitable hole where you could find a nice warm patch of

water underneath the sand. It was a great start to an adventure filled day.

The things we were learning that day we very incredible. Understanding the

geological processes that we could physically see going on and those that had

gone on 7 million years ago. The geothermal activity could be seen, well more

felt as it happened right there at that time. Deep under earth geothermal cracks

and vents were emitting extreme amounts of heat that filtered up through to

the surface, in some place it was incredibly hot even inches below the sand.

This heated the water, and when appropriately mixed with the cold ocean water

you had a nice relaxing hot tub, if built properly and strong enough.

We got to see ignumbrite rock which is a combination of volcanic ash and

pummus, that was created nearly 7 to 8 million years ago. Also we learned to

identify the pummus which was compared to small raisins in rice pudding which

was the matrix of ash. Also that phenocryst's are slow forming crystal pummus

chunks and tuffs are considered all ash by its self. Including these geological

properties we also saw some biological organisms including, Larus gulls, the

ever popular in New Zealand Pipi shell; Plebidonax deltoides species. Also the

common tua tua species Paphies subtriangulata, beach hooper or sand flea, and

amphipods and limpets that could not be identified. Some other biology we

saw were sea weed and Pahotakowa tree growing on the ignumbrite.

Group Stop Blog Entry- Katherine Fochesto

2010-01-27T04:58:00.000-08:00

Katherine Fochesto
Cathedral Cove

Cathedral Cove was on of my favorite places that our group has visited
during our time in New Zealand. Cathedral Cove is located on the Pacific Ocean
in a marine reserve that is 9 square kilometers. I really enjoyed Cathedral Cove
because there was a hike on the way down to the beach that took 45 minutes.
The trail we hiked winded down a cliff through a forest with amazing views of
the ocean and the beach below. The walk down to the beach built up our
anticipation to see the shore and the beautiful clear blue water.
Once down at the beach, I was amazed at the rock formations around the
beach. The rocks, called tuff, were made up of ash. The sediment was fine,
white-gray in color and was made up mostly of fragments of tuff rock. The first
thing I noticed was the most obvious, the arch in the rock, on the right side.
The effects of weathering from waves hitting the tuff rock left an arch through
what was once a headland of the beach. When I walked through the arch to the
adjacent beach, I noticed a stack, which is called Tower Rock. It is now a
freestanding rock that broke away from the cliff next to it. At one time, it was
an arch like the one we walked through. Over time, the waves continue to
weather arches and they become stacks like Tower Rock.

Arches and stacks begin as caves, which were also at Cathedral Cove. A
bunch of us swam into two of the caves and it was amazing. Inside each cave
there is a little beach where we swam up and stood on the sand looking out at
the water. Waves begin to weather the rock around them into caves making
them larger and larger until they break through to the other side forming an
arch, and eventually a stack. It was so interesting to see a geological process in
three different stages in one beach. We got to visualize the effects of waves,
weather and long periods of time in one afternoon. There was also a rock
offshore in the middle of the water, which we were able to jump off. That was
really cool also because we were able to stand on the rock facing the beach and
see the whole beach from a different vantage point. Jumping off was very fun
also and I spent a lot of time climbing up to jump the 10-15 feet into the (very
cold) water. The tuff rock surrounding the beach also had what is called honeycomb
weathering. Honeycomb weathering got its name from the indentations it
creates on the rocks, a pattern that resembles a honeycomb. Grains of sand
being moved around on the rocks by wind and swirling around to create little
circular indents cause honeycomb weather. This was really interesting to see
because we were witnessing two different types of weathering: water and wind.
We saw the different formations and patterns the different kinds of weathering
left on the rocks.

While on the beach and climbing the rocks, we noticed a large amount of
limpets and barnacles. The barnacles were attached to rocks both in the water
and on the shore that were not yet covered with the incoming tide. There were
also cockle shells, black nerites, snails, seaweeds, stingrays, sea urchins and
macro algae. The high diversity of the marine life in this area explains why New
Zealand has made it a marine reserve. This was the first marine reserve we
visited so I found it really interesting to learn what that meant. A marine reserve
is a protected beach and coastal area. Visitors to the beach are not allowed to
take anything from the beach, living or nonliving, not even sand or shells.
Visitors are encouraged to "take only pictures and leave only footprints." Marine
reserves are enacted to preserve coastal areas and marine life in their natural
state and prevent disruption or destruction by human activity. Therefore, we
were able to swim and climb the rocks and enjoy our time at the beach but we
were not able to take any specimens with us as we left in order to respect the
environment at Cathedral Cove.
Overall, Cathedral Cove was a great place to spend the day. It was not only
beautiful to look at, but there were many biological and geological aspects to be
studied there. It was fascinating to see how waves cut away and shape the land,
changing its appearance over time. It was also interesting to see all the flora
and fauna in its natural, preserved state. Traveling down the cliff and walking
onto the beach was like entering a serene and protected area with amazing
things to discover and learn about.

Group Stop Blog Entry- Brianna Lyons

2010-01-26T11:14:00.001-08:00

Brianna Lyons

Our trip around the Bay of Islands to see the Hole in the Rock was a highly enjoyable introduction to what our later travels around New Zealand would be like. The day was packed with beautiful weather, gorgeous scenery, and geologic processes that I've previously only read about in textbooks. Near the Hole in the Rock were were able to see the sea cave, sea arch, sea stack progression that we would later get a closer look at during our visit to Cathedral Cove. It was also interesting to see the result of rising sea level on the landscape, as the islands are hills that have been drowned in the last few thousand years. The trip provided a light history of some of the islands, as our boat guide told us stories of Cook's travels in the Bay of Islands and later Maori/Pakeha interactions in the area. I feel that the story of the "massacre" on one of the islands by a young Maori, and the Maori reactions to his subsequent arrest and trial by the British, helped to reinforce my awareness of underlying tensions that have existed between Maori and Pakeha since first contact.

The day trip offered a further glimpse into our future travels when we were unexpectedly left on one of the islands for about an hour. It was a gentle initiation into the fact that not everything will go as planned, and that this does not mean bad things will happen, but instead unanticipated opportunities to learn and explore may present themselves. It is definitely enjoyable to think back and realize that on the beach where we had impromptu lectures that day, there were a lot of shells and critters that I didn't know at the time but I could definitely identify now, such as the ever-present pipi.

Group Stop Blog Entry- Brittany Schieler

2010-01-26T10:31:00.001-08:00

Brittany Schieler

We have been to so many beautiful places and seen so many amazing things on our trip that picking just one to write about was the hardest part of this blog assignment. One of my favorite group stops in terms of geology and biology thus far, though, has definitely been Cathedral Cove in the Coromandel. While we were there for only a very short time, the amount of biological and geological features available at such a small pocket beach was incredible, making Cathedral Cove one of my most memorable encounters.

Just getting there was hike… literally. It was about a 45 minute walk down a cliff over rough, and sometimes steep, terrain to get to the beach. It was a tough walk, but the scenery was spectacular! One minute you are walking through a dense, forest area with large ferns reminiscent of the Jurassic Park jungles and the next you find yourself on grass fields with a great view of the Pacific Ocean. On the way, we saw many bird species, such as Quail, and many different plants. Finally walking down the last bit of stairs and onto a beautiful, sandy paradise was breathtaking.

Though Cathedral Cove is a popular tourist attraction, we were fortunate enough to be given instruction on the biological and geological features of the area that usually go unnoticed by the typical tourist or beachgoer. For example, the small beach includes examples of all three stages in the geological evolution of sea stacks. There were many sea cave (the first stage in forming a sea stack) and a huge sea arch that you can walk through. Once you are through the arch, you can see a large sea stack just off the beach. Also, there was clear evidence on these geological structures of erosion processes, such as honeycomb weathering patterns. All of this helped show how geological features are not permanent and are governed by dynamic processes and constantly changing.

In addition to geology, Cathedral Cove had some interesting biology. The cove is the first marine reserve to be established on the Coromandel peninsula. In addition to the array of mollusc sea shells that can be found on the beach (the sand is also made of many shell fragments), many organisms dwell in the cove's subtidal zone. I was fortunate to have brought my snorkel equipment and dove right in to explore. Among the vast amounts of submerged macroalgae were large schools of fish. It was a great experience to swim among them.

The wealth of geology and biology at Cathedral Cove marine reserve made this stop a great opportunity to learn and to explore. In addition to this hands-on learning, I did a little self-exploration that afternoon. There was a large rock in the water that many swimmers were jumping off of. Scared at first, I finally convinced myself to climb the giant rock and jump. It may seem quite trivial, but this experience helped me to take risks and leave my comfort zone throughout the rest of my time in New Zealand, for which I am very grateful.

Group Stop Blog Entry- Christina Liaskos

2010-01-26T10:29:00.001-08:00

Christina Liaskos

It was a lot harder than I expected to pick a favorite location out of the ones
we've visited thus far; practically every day of this trip has been absolutely
amazing. Cathedral Cove, however, was definitely up there on my top places. It's
beauty was breathtaking. The water was calm and clear and the beach felt like it
was sheltered from the world.

As far as the geology aspect, Cathedral Cove reached beyond my expectations.
To see before my eyes the evolution of a sea stack, to be able to witness it in its
three main stages, simultaneously, was something I never thought I'd see
outside of a textbook. I also enjoyed going inside the sea cave, exploring the
rocky intertidal and checking out the wave-cut notches and honeycomb
weathering.

Cathedral Cove was awesome in that it provided not only a beautiful landscape,
but a geological education as well.

Group Stop Blog Entry- Samantha Eulo

2010-01-26T08:40:00.001-08:00

Samantha Eulo

I chose Cathedral Cove to write about because I thought the beach was amazing in it's entirety, from the hike down, to jumping off the rock in the ocean, I found Cathedral Cove to be astounding. The best part was exploring the sea caves and actually swimming into them and hanging out inside. To see coastal processes that I've learned about in class, such as honey comb weathering, in person was really interesting. The whole adventurous feel of Cathedral Cove hooked me right from the beginning. In my surficial processes class we learned about wave cut notches and to see one in person was really helpful in visualizing what they really are and how they form.

Wave Cut Notch:

The geology at Cathedral Cove was so prominent. Honey-comb weathering created sea stacks, sea caves and sea arches. It was amazing to see all three in one beautiful place because all these processes take hundreds of years to form a feature.

Sea Arch:

Sea Stack:

The biology at Cathedral Cove was also amazing. The hike down was filled with many types of trees and plants. My favorite was the fern. To see first hand how it uncurls was awesome because a lot of the Maori carvings I saw included the growing fern. Seeing the fern made me understand the Maori's value for the fern and what it means for new life.

Overall, I found Cathedral Cove to be the most amazing place we've visited. It was jam packed with geology, biology, culture and adventure and I soaked up every second of it. When I come back to New Zealand I am most definitely going to visit Cathedral Cove and I feel so lucky to have shared that experience with everyone on the trip.

Group Stop Blog Entry- Katy Ames

2010-01-26T08:39:00.001-08:00

On our first day in New Zealand, we took a ferry to Rangitoto. Rangitoto is a shield volcano that is was formed about 700 years ago. The name Rangitoto comes from the Maori word for 'bloody sky. It was overcast, but even though the weather was dreary, the volcano still looked very impressive from the ferry.

Once we landed on the island, the whole group squeezed into a tram pulled by a trailer. We got to see several batchs, small holiday homes, on the beaches surrounding the volcano. Most of them were from the 50's, and today no more can be built on the island. They were very small, probably one or two rooms at most, but it is a great location! While we were going up, we passed huge a'a lava fields. It was awesome to see such dramatic evidence of the volcano's activity. After almost falling out of the tram we finally got to the end of the tram ride. Then after climbing a considerable amount of stairs we reached the top. There were also many pohutukawa trees, and flax that only grows in extremely clean air. The top had great views of the crater, which was covered in vegetation, and of the surrounding waters. There was an old survey station was and a World War II observation post at the top. We walked around the crater and then came back down the volcano. After descending we walked around in the a'a lava field which proved treacherous. Then we went to the first beach of the trip. There was a wrack line with some Neptune's necklace. There was also a lava tube that had cooled on the beach. After the beach we went back Rangitoto, it was certainly a great way to beat jet lag!

Group Stop Blog Entry- Kristen Beebe

2010-01-26T08:38:00.001-08:00

Kristen

New Zealand study abroad has been a trip I will cherish for its memories and
experiences the rest of my life. Not only was I able to enjoy the most beautiful
country in the world, but learn about the marine life and geology/biology of the
coasts along with experiencing the culture of the island. One event in particular
that has been most influential to me is the excursion to the Marae.

The trip to the Marae focused a lot on the cultural side of the trip: learning
about the ancient maori and their traditional heritage. Beginning with the use of
a chief to enter the grounds and the singing to prove our entrance as peaceful, I
will never forget the culture of the maori. I enjoyed the way we worked together
in the Marae in preparing and cleaning up meals, learning the haka, and
sleeping in a communal space. Being able to work together in learning this
dance for both males and females opened my eyes to the expressive nature of
the natives and how they have persevered in preserving their culture amidst the
heavy European influence.

As well, I think it was a nice change to sleep with
everyone in the group: it was a bonding experience and a happy peaceful
night's sleep. I learned that the shape of the Marae is not haphazard, with the
carving of the ancestor at the front of the Marae resembling the head of the
ancestor and the single long beam in the center of the structure being the back
with the wood radiating from the center as the ribs. Everything is symbolic in a
Marae, with much respect for those that have passed.

The walk to the church was very enlightening too, as I had not known of the
great Catholic presence and how much the maori respect their missionary so
much as to fight for his relocation from Europe to this chapel in the hills of New
Zealand. I thought it was amazing how the chief/priest allowed us to raise the
casket of this man (it is only raised three times a year for public viewing).
Although there was a little mishap with a cross that was jammed, father
resumed the raising and we were able to view the hand carved casket (father's
brother was responsible for this). I felt honored.

Not only was there a cultural revelation from the Marae stay, but a scholarly
one as well. A few of the maori men took us on a group walk along the cat walk
which passed through a mangrove thicket. The muddy substrata and the
beautiful water channel that meandered its way through the trees made for a
lovely sight. However, upon closer examination small crabs were noticeable
hidings inside burrows in the mud and small snails were seen along the ground.
Baby mangrove shoots were pronounced everywhere and the influence of the
tide was clear with shells (oysters, etc) and other shell debris. Of course, this
muddy terrain was not left untouched, as a mud race ensued with a few of the
group members. All in all, the mangroves were a beautiful natural wonder with
diverse fauna.

The morning we left was just as genuine as the day we entered: breakfast
was homemade and we all worked as a group in cleaning the dishes.
Furthermore, our chief was set to speak again and we sang once more. We
ended with touching noses and saying our goodbyes (Kia ora); I was left with an
enlightened heart.

***In the pictures above, you will find an image of the mangroves, the group
that ran in the mud, an image of the chapel, and an image of the entrance to
the Marae***

Group Stop Blog Entry- Laura Treible

2010-01-26T08:34:00.001-08:00

Laura Treible-

One of my most memorable stops so far was the Whale Bay rocky intertidal. I
have never experienced a coastline so unique. To start off, the geology of the
area was very unique. I could see the progression of weathering from the pillow
basalts to the boulders to smaller cobbles up the beach. It is so interesting to
learn about processes in the classroom, and then actually get to see them in the
field. It was fascinating to see how pools were created in the indentations in the
rocks and between them. This created a unique habitat for the animals living
there.

I loved seeing the diversity of animal species at Whale Bay. Previously, we had
only seen shells and some crabs, but the rocky intertidal zone was full of life. I
remember how excited I was to see two starfish in one of the tide pools, and see
living things in shells instead of just the shells washed up on the beach. Stu
even caught one of the crabs so I could look at it up close.

Besides the geology and biology of the area, it was interesting to see how the
people of New Zealand were using this unique coastline. There were tons of
surfers off the shore taking advantage of the large, high energy waves. At first I
was confused as to why there were so many surfers when the waves would be
coming straight in to such large boulders, but I noticed how the waves were
refracting around the larger boulders, which was interesting to see.

Overall, the Whale Bay rocky intertidal was one of my favorite places to go.
Seeing the unique biology, combined with being able to see geological
processes in the field made this a great experience.
-Laura

Group Stop Blog ENtry- Alison Gutsche

2010-01-26T08:31:00.001-08:00

Alison Gutsche

I knew about Raglan Beach before I went on this New Zealand trip. There was a summer when Endless Summer was on TV everyday and I watched as they traveled to the legendary surf beach. Raglan was better than I ever imagined. It was the longest and widest beach I had ever seen along with its fine, black sand; it was something right out of the movies. I felt like I was walking forever as I approached the famous west coast waves of the Tasman Sea. The waves were bigger than what I was used to at Fenwick Island, DE. The waves were getting as big as 2.5m high and only falling to about 1.5m high, which can be considered low for Raglan's usual waves.

It was a perfect beach day, the skies were clear and there was a slight breeze that filled my entire backpack with black sand. It was the darkest sand I had ever seen filled Magnetite, ilmenite, and rutile. The sand was very fine and very well sorted due to the high-energy waves crashing onto the shore, and was rather annoying in the fact that it was very hard to remove from my hands and fingernails. We dug a small trench to studying the storm layering of the beach and noticed the different minerals in the layers. While digging, we found a small isopod and few different shell fragments. There were an assortment of Pipis, wedge shells, mussels, and cockles.
The large waves were mainly spilling with a few plunging due to the fact that it was a high energy, so it was a dissipative beach. The fine sand and wide surf zone also contributed to the dissipative beach characteristics. The steady sets of waves broke perfectly for surfers close to shore and also farther out to sea. I would have enjoyed returning and watching some experienced surfers brave the waves of Raglan, but our visit was short. Hopefully one day I'll be back and be able to spend more time on the legendary beach.

Group Stop Blog Entry- Emily Olson

2010-01-26T08:25:00.000-08:00

Emily Olson:

We've seen a lot of beaches on this trip, and all of them are very special in their own way. It's easy to narrow down my two favorites, though, but since I didn't get to go swimming at one of them (an instant deal breaker) the number one spot in my heart goes to Cathedral Cove.

As I was walking the trail to the beach I just kept thinking about how beautiful it was and how much I wanted to stay here. It wasn't breathtaking so much as word-taking; I really can't find any words to describe the place, but I think pictures may be able to do it justice. It's definitely a unique gem both to me and to geology. It ran the whole coastal process/weathering gamut: at the beach there was the namesake, the Cathedral, the huge tunnel in the middle of a cliff. There were also some caves (which we swam into and were really cool because they had mini beaches inside!), and sea stacks offshore. All three stages were in one place; sea cave to hole to sea stack! The rock composing all of these structures was tuff, which is ash that has been compressed into rock – the "raisin pudding" without the raisins. There was also honeycomb weathering inside the Cathedral, which is caused by salt deposits from ocean spray crystallizing on rock and prying apart mineral grains within the rock, which leaves these spots open to weathering. The beach itself was determined to be an intermediate beach. Walking through the Cathedral was very cool, though they had recently had a small collapse and you were restricted to walking through a tiny roped off area. The beach on the other side was beautiful too!

I was also dying to go for a swim there, so I did, for at least an hour! The water was beautiful, though it was 19 degrees C so it was pretty cold when you first got in. But the water was very clear and I snorkeled around for a while near the rocks and sea stacks. I didn't see too much biology, but there was kelp, two grouper-looking fish, maybe a foot or a foot and a half long, and a big school of silver fish around 8 inches long. Somebody had said they saw a stingray, though I didn't witness it. There was a good rock for jumping off of out a way off shore (I did it twice!). The trip was a lot, lot of fun. The worst part of my day was definitely when we had to leave Cathedral Cove. It's just such a beautiful and awe inspiring place that I know I will go back there someday.

Group Stop Blog Entry- Kevin Crum

2010-01-26T08:20:00.001-08:00

Kevin Crum

One of the group stops that stand out in my mind is Raglan and Whale Bay. After walking down the short path to get to the Raglan beach, I was shocked at how dark the sand on the beach.

I had never seen sand like that before (I took an extra sample of the sand to bring home as a souvenir). I sat down for a minute before picking up my geology bag and noticed that the sand was sticking to it. I soon realized it was actually the magnetic fragments in the sand sticking to the magnet inside the bag. I did not get to spend much time exploring the beach, but I did have time to help dig hole in the sand and see the dark placer layers left in the sand by storms. For the short amount of time that I spent on the beach, a lot of geology began to make sense. Upon learning about the close proximity of the source of sand I began to understand why there is less and less heavy minerals in the beaches as you move north from Raglan (it is more difficult to transport heavy minerals than sand, so the further from the source, the smaller the proportion of heavy minerals). I was also able to see some of the violet shells that someone had found. I haven't seen a shell that bright in color at any of the other beaches we have visited.

Upon leaving Raglan beach, we went to the Whale Bay Reserve to look around in the tide pools. As a kid who grew up looking around in tide pools, this will be one of the most memorable parts of the trip. I was able run around and pick up rocks and try to find as many species of flora and fauna as I could. I managed to find a good amount (including sea stars, urchins, crabs, chiton, limpets, algae and others) and based my Naturalist's Notebook assignment on trying to identify all of the organisms that I had documented. I learned more about New Zealand biology here than I did at any other site. I can now identify a number of intertidal species, but I wish that I had more to poke around in the tide pools. I am sure there was more for me to find if I had a bit longer to search.

Group Stop Blog Entry- Bobby Winters

2010-01-26T00:01:00.001-08:00

Paihia -Bobby Winters
One of my favorite group stops so far was at Paihia.
When Stu first drove us into town on the big bus I was really
amazed with the scenery. The water was an incredible blue
green, the sky was blue and the sun was white. We eventually
got into a boat which took us out of Paihia and out into the
Bay of Islands. It was really cool to see how the bay had
formed with a bunch of different sized islands scattered
throughout the middle. Our boat tour gave us a pretty quick
taste of some cool geology as we arrived at the Hole in the
Rock, which is an excellent example of a sea arch. Near the
arch was a cave which is an earlier stage in the same
geological process. We could also see a few sea stacks in the
bay which are the latest stage in the same geological process.
From our boat we could also see some large fish in the bay
which gave us a hint of the diverse sea life found in the Bay
of Islands.

We also got a nice dose of Maori and English culture
while we were at Paihia. After the boat tour, we headed over
to the Waitangi Treaty grounds to learn about the peace treaty
that was reached between the Crown and the Maori. Basically,
the treaty is made up of three main articles. The articles
gave the Maori people sovereignty, full possession of New
Zealand and all the rights and privileges of British subjects.
It was very cool to see all of the Maori structures that are
built around the treaty grounds, including a very ornate
meeting house as well as a huge war canoe made up of three
massive kauri trees.
The next day we spent a little bit of time on the
beach in Paihia, not far from our hostel. On the beach at
Paihia we could see interesting characteristics of a
reflective beach, including berms, scarps, wrack lines, and
rills. We were also able to pick out some biological focal
points like mangrove seeds, puhutakawa trees, limpets and
catseye turbo. The grain sizes were around .125 mm and the
mix of plunging and spilling waves were only around a tenth of
a meter in height. After a pleasant morning on the beach of
Paihia, we loaded up the bus and headed out.

Group Stop Blog Entry- Natalie Molz

2010-01-25T20:03:00.001-08:00

Natalie Molz

I enjoyed visiting White Island more than any other place so far. I have never been on an active volcano, and I think it's awesome that it could have erupted at any moment while we were on it. From pictures it looked like we were on mars. It was interesting too to see the acidic water in the middle of the volcano. Our tour guide told us that a man had committed suicide there but no traces of him were ever found. It's amazing that a body of water can be so powerful as to virtually dissolve all traces of someone. Seeing the steam come out of cracks in the rocks was also pretty powerful. The experience made me feel really realize how powerful nature is. In an instant we could have all perished if the volcano were to erupt. In a second, if one of us had slipped into the acidic water we would have died. It made me think about how little control I ultimately have in life. In a second our fates can be decided by a natural disaster and there is inevitably very little we can do to stop it.

While on the volcano I didn't see any animals other than birds. Seeing as the birds were able to fly, if they could not find food on the volcano they could simply fly back to the mainland whereas other animals would starve. The guide told us that when people used to work on the volcano the brought over rats to see if they could survive. Only the rats and very few other animals could make it under such harsh conditions. There was also a little area right of the volcano that was said to be infested with sharks. While we didn't see any sharks when we were actually on the volcano, once on the boat we saw a shark (probably a lone hammerhead) and a pod of dolphins.
At some points in our walk around the volcano, the sulfuric smell grew so strong that we needed to put on our face masks. There were some pieces of pure sulfur on the ground and a lot of rocks had a yellow dust on them from the sulfur. There was some water that was so filled with sulfur that it could clean the dirtiest penny. We dipped half of a dirty coin in the water and could see the obvious distinction between the clean part and the dirty part. As powerful as the chemicals in the water was however, it was also safe to drink. It tasted exactly like it smelled, and while it might not kill you to drink the water, it certainly was not pleasant.

Group Stop Blog Entry- Brett Friedberg

2010-01-25T19:12:00.001-08:00

Brett Friedberg

Marae stay

The Marae stay was one of the most rewarding experiences on our trip so far. I learned some geology and biology as well as some insight to the culture of the Maori people. On the geology and biology side, I saw a mud flat for the first time. During low tide, no water covered the mud flat and all the plant and animal life there was exposed. You could find species of crab and oyster on the mud flat and a plethora of mangroves. During high tide, the nearby river overflows and floods the mud flat giving fish and other species access to the area. Another feature I learned during the Marae stay was the way step terraces are formed in the nearby hills of the Marae. When sheep and cows graze on steep hills they move up the hill in an orderly fashion which eventually creates steps in the hills for them to walk and graze on. These steps are created just form these animals standings on the hills in certain spots.

Culturally, the experience of staying at the Marae was a great one. Before arriving I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical of the stay and did not know what to expect, especially since our welcome involved us singing Hakuna Matata. However, after realizing how hospitable and genuine the people were, I got over my initial doubt about the stay. On a side note, I really enjoyed when the priest told us he did not know us from a bar of soap. I thought it was hilarious and showed me how down to Earth they were.

The trip up to the church speaks for itself. The priest had some interesting stories to say the least and made me appreciate just how important religion is to the Maori culture. After all, he traveled all the way to France to unbury the man who brought them Christianity and brought him back to the Marae.

Checking out the mud flat with Jr. and the scary looking guy was another cool experience of the trip. They were interesting guys. The work out they were talking about through the mud flats sounded borderline life threatening. To quote Jr., "Yea, we tie a boulder on our back and sprint through the mud. Then we jump in the river and swim all the way down with the current and then back against the current before running through the mud flats again." I had a great time running through the mud flats, but doing it with boulders tied to me sounds crazy. Those workouts are probably the reason those guys can play professional rugby.

And of course, who could forget learning the haka. Now that was a memorable moment! Jr. and scary looking guy looked possessed when showing us how to do it. However, I would probably use a different word to describe our haka. It was all in good fun and was a good way to hang out and get to know the guys. That was until we had to go shirtless. Anyway, It was a great experience to learn some insight into Maori culture and was a good chance for everyone in our group to get to know each other a little better.

Overall, it was a great experience that I would not trade for much. We learned a lot about geology and biology, but mostly about the unique culture of the Maori people and a great time in the process.

Group Stop Blog Entry- Ethan Beswick

2010-01-25T17:35:00.001-08:00

Ethan Beswick- Motuti Marae

When I first heard we were going to a Marae, I had no idea what to expect, mostly because I really didn't understand what this place was. When we arrived, I still knew very little, but once we were witness to the tradition and the ceremony (even without traditional garb) it all started to sink in. This was a small piece of seclusion for this particular group of Maori and they had been gracious enough to share their culture with us. From the tasty meals (fry-bread with local honey for tea and roast pork butt with cabbage as a side for dinner!) to their tours of the mangroves, their enthusiasm was clearly evident.

When I think back on that day, from the welcome and our song (Hakunah Matata!) to dinner and running through the mangroves and "attempting" the haka, I cannot help but be pleased. It was one of our first days in New Zealand and it was exactly what I needed. Talking with the warriors, Junior and his friend (whose name escapes me), and learning not only of their daily lives outside the Marae but also the traditions that they participate in enthralled me. How they used the land around them for both food (the mud snails and oysters they found for me that I almost ate) and for spiritual reasons (the sacred burial ground guarded by the spirits of their chiefs) was something few people still do; something I envy. Of course, getting to play around in the mangrove fields, which are used not only for recreation but also for their healing properties, was an experience I will never forget. Plus, having the bishop wash our clothes and then give us fresh baked bread and cherry preserves was something completely unexpected, but not out of character for the people of this kind country.

This was an experience that I wish could have lasted longer, although we did do some pretty spectacular things afterwards. If I ever get a chance to come back to New Zealand, I intend to return to the Mututi Marae and learn all that they are willing to teach.

Group Stop Blog Entry- Danielle Lennon

2010-01-25T17:32:00.001-08:00

The place that I have most enjoyed so far while visiting New Zealand was definitely White Island so I will write about that. Although we had to wake up at 6:15 to go there, it was definitely worth the lost sleep. First we got on a small boat in order to take us over to the island, it took us about an hour and a half to get there and we got to see the beautiful blue ocean and other rocks and islands in the distance. Once we got there we had to travel over in this little tiny boat, which I obviously had to fall into and hurt my leg in typical spastic fashion. Once on the island the view were breathtaking. It took a minute to set in and for me to realize that we were actually on an active volcano!

Once our tour guide took off the first place that was really amazing was the big acid lake. He told us that that was a good place to "get rid of a body," which I obviously put in the back of my mind for later use, just kidding! Then we went to go see this little river like thing that was really salty(Yes, I tasted it), and it was also very hot. He showed us all of the bright yellow sulfur that was left on the island. He then went on to show us the place where the miners used to work which was really cool as well. It was kind of eerie to walk through this place where people used to be and just see rusted beams and other metal parts left behind. The most memorable geological feature would be the bright yellow sulfur that covers the island. The bubbling mud pools and steam vents were also so cool.
Biologically speaking, the island is much more sparse. The only biology I saw was some random plant on the ground that was unidentified and our tour guide told us about the rats that were placed on the island by the miners for them to eat in case they got stuck on the island. We never saw any rats though, while we were visiting. The real biological adventures began once we got back on the boat after we left the island. The first thing we saw was a shark! Being a huge shark enthusiast I thought my day could not possibly get better. The captain told me he thought it was a hammerhead, which is so awesome. Then about 15 minutes later we saw a school of over 30 dolphins! These "common dolphins" were definitely not ordinary. They were jumping and swimming right next to the boat and there were even a few calves! It was the most amazing thing I have ever seen with my own two eyes. White Island was definitely my favorite part of this trip so far, but we definitely have amazing things ahead.

Group Stop Blog Entry- Trevor Anderson

2010-01-25T17:30:00.001-08:00

Trevor Anderson

Cathedral Cove

While making the trek down to Cathedral Cove, I was overwhelmed with all the breathtaking views that could be seen during the short hike. The water appeared crystal clear, holes and caves existed throughout these white, rocky cliffs, and on top of the mountains, sat a lush forest filled with a variety of trees and plants. When I finally made it down to the beach, I could not believe my eyes. There were caves in the mountain walls to my right, a hole through the mountain on my left, a ridge through the rock behind me, and right out in front of me in the ocean stood a rock ledge, emerged roughly two meters above the surface. Islands could be seen in the distance, and although the waves were dismal, it was the coolest beach I have ever been to.

The most noticeable geological aspect of the cove was the occurrence of honeycomb weathering, in which wind blows small grains in and around creating pitted "honeycombs" in sedimentary rock. This process was not only evident by the large "hole in the rock" on the beach, but also by the many small holes found throughout the mountainous backing of the beach. Cathedral Cove's beach was not too wide and was only moderately steep. There were also tiny waves, all of which helped make it clear that the beach was in an intermediate state. The sediment was roughly 0.5 millimeters in size per grain, poorly sorted, sub-angular, light brown, composed of shell fragments, and was fairly coarse. Some fish could be seen in the clear sea, and barnacles and muscles were observed clinging to rocks. There were sea gulls and only a few shells on the beach. Really the only flora was the trees and plants that grew and lived up on top of the mountains behind the beach, which we passed while on our journey down to the cove.

Another intriguing feature of Cathedral Cove was that it is a cultural preserve. One could "only take photos, and leave footprints". This meant Cathedral Cove lacked any litter, and its biological and geological attributes were left untouched and allowed to stay in natural form. I wish I could say the same for environmental attractions in the U.S.

Cathedral Cove was an absolute blast. We swam out to the flat rock in the ocean and jumped off it several times, and even daringly swam out to the cave located on the right side of the cove. I still cannot believe there was a small beach on the inside of the cave that could only be entered by swimming through the sea. Walking through the hole in the rock on the beach was another experience I'll never forget. It was also interesting to climb and sit on the rock ledge located in the middle section of the beach. I could not believe how smooth and soft the mountain was. All in all, I had a great time at Cathedral Cove, and got to witness the effects of weathering by seeing a rock completely separated from the main mountain, a hole in the rock which will one day be isolated, and the rest of the mountain yet to be substantially affected.

Group Stop Blog Entry- Michael Kelly

2010-01-25T17:27:00.001-08:00

Michael Kelly

Hole in the Rock

The ferry cruise and tour of the Bay of Island out of Paihia was both spectacularly breathtaking and extremely informative. Departing from the dock we first stopped at a small vacationing town, once referred to as 'The Hell Hole of the Pacific' for its past history as a whaling outpost full of brothels, pubs, and drunken sailors. Today it is ironic to see that it is an upper class vacationing destination full of sailboats and yachts. As we cruised throughout the bay we learned from the captain of the initial discovery of the area by none other than Captain James Cook himself, where he was first to count 144 islands in the bay. Another particularly interesting story about the bay's past was the story of Robertson's island. At this location there used to be a European family living there accompanied by the son of a Maori chief. The story says that the European father of the family was very rude and disrespectful to the Maori man, even beating him at times. As part of the Maori culture it is believed that injustices and great disrespect justifies violent retribution. This led the young Maori man to violently kill the European man and subsequently kill the rest of his family. Unfortunately this led to a clash of cultures as the European justice system demanded that the man be brought to the city, given a public trial and hung publicly. The Maori tribe tried to intervene by saying that they would impose their own punishment to avoid the public humiliation, but to no avail.

After this island we went to the Hole in the Rock, a massive island with an eroded hole in it wide enough for the ferry to pass through. The hole caused by erosion from the waves will eventually collapse, but another hole has already begun to form. The Maori story of the hole says that if a drop of water falls from the cave onto your head you will be blessed with eternal youth and luck. Also at the location we saw a large school of fish at the surface which was very interesting to see. It is likely that the Hole in the Rock provides a great habitat for many aquatic species.

Overall the cruise through the Bay of Islands was extremely interesting and informative on many scientific levels and culturally as well. Not only did I enjoy the great beauty of Paihia, but learned a great amount to that will last for a long time.

Group Stop Blog Entry- Jessi Wenke

2010-01-25T17:24:00.000-08:00

Our Stay at Motuti Marae

Jessi Wenke

It is incredibly difficult to pick one place that has made an impact on me; nearly every day we have seen or done something new and exciting. Since I am pressed to choose one I will have to pick our stay at the Marae. Since it was so close to the beginning of the trip, everything was still new and even the small things; birds, plants and unique food made quite an impression. It was our first taste of Kiwi hospitality and the Maori folks were so incredibly welcoming. I knew by looking at the map just how far from home I was, but I don't think it was until I looked up at the clear, dark sky that night and saw the Southern Cross that I realized just how far we had traveled.

I had the opportunity on several occasions on our short stay to get to know some of the women who patiently answered questions about their homes, families, traditions and beliefs. When I woke in the morning to the song of strange birds and looked up to the ceiling of the Marae and saw the designs that they called "the backbone" it occurred to me what a fantastic adventure I was about to embark on and how truly fortunate I am to have the opportunity to embark on this adventure.

Group Stop Blog Entry- Rob Gardiner

2010-01-25T17:21:00.000-08:00

Rob Gardiner
I am choosing to write about our stay at the Marae because of how I feel it set the tone for the rest of the trip thus far. It was only the second night we were in New Zealand so everyone was still getting to know one another but we all had to act as one group in order to enter on to the Marae. We needed to select a chief as well as come up with a group song.
After we ate dinner as a group we were taken out to see the expansive mangrove flat behind the Marae.

Biologically speaking, the mangroves are an important wetland habitat. They are also very unique in that their roots, called pencil roots, poke up from underground about 5 inches in order to get oxygen during low tide. The river that runs into the mangrove flat brings with it fish which the Maori catch and use for meals. Geologically, the mangrove is situated in an estuary with a fairly large tidal range. The sediment is a very fine mud/clay and can be easily transported in the event of storms or floods. Also, the mangroves act as a buffer for the mainland during storms and dissipate the energy of storm surges and floods. Without mangroves, the Maori would continuously lose their land as it eroded away. Culturally the mangrove flat plays a very important part in the Maori way of life. When the tide is low, the men come out and run through rugby drills. They also entertain themselves by having "stone wars" which have been occurring for generations. In these stone wars the Maori men set up on either side of the river, cover stones with a layer of the mud and then try to hit members of the other team. The river also offers another chance for the Maori men to show their toughness. The men have swimming contests with incoming and outgoing tides seeing who can swim furthest up river and then marking the location with a stick. When the next tide comes in another man tries to beat that previous record.
After the tour of the mangroves we learned about some of the traditions the Maori still practice to this day. The guys learned the Haka, a tribal war chant, and the girls learned a song sung by the Maori women. After about an hour of practice each group performed what they had learned in front of the rest of the study abroad group as well as the Maori who were hosting us. I believe the entire evening brought the group closer which has enabled us to greater appreciate everything we have seen and learned so far.

Group Stop Blog Entry- Emily Cahoon

2010-01-25T17:18:00.001-08:00

Emily Cahoon

The most meaningful stop for me on this study abroad trip was White Island. Granted waking up at five am was not exactly my cup of tea but it was completely worth it. After eating breakfast all 28 students boarded the boat, took a few pictures, and some of us fell asleep. However, when we arrived at White Island everyone was more than awake.

To get to the island they shipped us from the boat to the island on tiny rafts that fit about ten people; there had to be four trips to get everyone across. From the boat it was easy to see how spectacular the island was. The first thing that was noticed as we approached the island was the pungent smell of sulfur. Although many students dislike it, I appreciate it because I know that where there's that smell, there is some type of geologic activity. We began our tour of the island however I was so fascinated by everything it had to offer I often fell slightly behind, although one of the Kiwi tour guides made sure I stayed with the group. We were informed to stay strictly to the path because many of the small mounds present just off the path were dangerous to walk on, and they did not want us falling through!

The island had so much to see both geologically and biologically. There were streams that flowed around the island that were calcium sulfate rich, giving them a very milky appearance. Another student and I even think we saw potential microbes in one! I also discovered some crystallized sulfur, a bright yellow mineral with that strong smell. As we approached the crater itself we stopped at a massive fumarole, spitting out hot gases; it made an unearthly sound. The crater itself was an incredible sight. It was filled with a bright neon green/yellow liquid that had a high concentration of sulfuric acid; nothing anyone would want to swim in. Steam was rising out of the lake within the crater and it felt as though we were on a different planet. We were not allowed to get to close however because the rocks around the crater were unstable.
After leaving the crater we ventured to a different part of the island and saw small "mud volcanoes". These were small pots of mud that mix with the liquid present and begin to boil and bubble; some mud even went flying out and landed on my hand, but it wasn't too hot. They then led us to the old sulfur factory that was once present on the island; the workers didn't realize they were on an active volcano and when it decided to erupt, they were toast. The remains of the factory were an incredible sight; rusted walls, gears, and other kinds of machinery. The tour guides allowed us to wander for a few minutes but then instructed us that we needed to leave, the time limit was strict. The volcano last erupted in 2000, and on average it usually erupts every 10 years…

The ride back was especially enjoyable; they allowed us to jump off the boat and swim around. After this they fed us lunch and we were on our way back. On the ride back however we stopped a few times because of the aquatic life that was close to us. We spotted a dorsal fin swimming in waters adjacent to our vessel and were told it appeared to be a hammerhead shark. Then, we had almost 30 dolphins surround us, even a mother and baby! They clearly wanted to play so the captain began driving the boat and the dolphins all kept up; swimming around us, trying to keep up, and doing tricks along the way.
The trip to White Island was spectacular and so far has been the favorite part of my study abroad trip. Being on an active volcano with so much power makes you feel incredibly small. As a geology major interested in pursuing study in volcanology, it was the perfect place to visit! We will be hiking the Tongariro Crossing in just three days and I am very much looking forward to that experience as well.

Group Stop Blog Entry- Christine MacDonald

2010-01-25T17:11:00.001-08:00

Christine MacDonald
Hot Water Beach

Never in my life would I think that I would get the opportunity to stand on a fault line and feel the heat from molten rocks millions of years old beneath my feet. The first thing that hit me when I walked onto hot water beach was the beautiful rocky backing of the beach that abruptly ended on a sandy beach that lead to clear blue water. However, the real impact the beach had on me was that rock miles beneath the surface could warm my feet just inches beneath the surface. And not only was the water warm it was up to 58°C which would burn me! At first it was hard to wrap my mind around that I was feeling the affects of a volcano that erupted millions of years ago, but than the power and incredible characteristics of the earth (especially volcanoes) always seems to keep amazing me on this trip, its really just mind boggling.

Hot water beach is located on the northeast side of the North Island. The beach was intermediate with plunging waves. The wave height at 10:00 AM on 9/1/10 was about 1m and the wave period was approximately 8 seconds. The sand was tan, course, well sorted and composed mainly of shell hash. Also, the beach was about 50 paces wide and backed with cliffs and trees. The sea cliffs were situated behind ignimbrite rocks, which are composed of pummus and ash. Hot Water Beach was also a pocket beach which helped to protect it from harsh seas. Hot water Beach was a nearshore, intertidal zone with unconsolidated shore sands. The fauna found in the intertidal zone were fine dosinias, morning stars and pipis. Beach hoppers were also on Hot Water beach but were found on the berm of the beach. There were also lots of gulls on the beach, probably because it was a tourists attraction so they were guaranteed food. Pahutakawa trees made up most of the flora on Hot Water Beach and they were located in the rocks and on the cliff on back of the beach.

Group Stop Blog Entry: Rina Binder-Macleod

2010-01-25T17:09:00.001-08:00

Rina Binder-Macleod

Waitomo Caves

On January 18^th, we ventured to the world famous Waitomo Glow Worm Caves for some black water rafting. Before this day, I was unaware what both glow worms and black water rafting were. It turns out that glow worms are not actually worms but in reality are maggots. The arachnocampa luminosa is found exclusively in New Zealand. They attach to the ceilings of caves and create hanging thread that captures their prey. When you look up at the ceiling of the cave, it looks like a cloudless night sky filled with stars (the glow worms shining)- it is surreal and unlike anything I have ever seen in my life. The other fauna that was "experienced" was the eel. While crawling through a tight space, trying to reach the waterfall, Natalie was bit by an eel and blood was drawn. How is that for getting up close and personal with nature?

As for the geology of the location, the limestone caves we explored had been carved out by running water. The range of the tunnel size within these caves was drastic, there were sections that a larger than rooms and some spots so small that you had to army crawl through. The caves demonstrate the awesome weathering power of water. I often forget the subterranean processes occuring, and these caves are great examples of what can happen below the surface. Another interesting geologic procces was evident in the caves as well- there were many stalagmites and stalactites throughout the cave. We were warned not to touch them because the oils on our skin would stunt the growth of these slow growing geologic specimens composed of deposited calcium carbonate.

The caves are located in a little town that seems to exist because of the constant tourist flow that comes out to experience the caves. Some people in our group did the walking tour of the caves, but others opted for the black water rafting. I was in the latter group. It is called black water rafting because of the absence of light within the caves, making the water appear black. My group of fellow female adventurers and I had a great time exploring the caves, floating in inner tubes in the complete darkness (but guided by "gps"- glowing positioning system aka the glow worms), going down waterslides, singing Avril Lavinge during the "karaoke" portion, and trying something we never imagined we would ever do! This was a great morning activity and I would definitely recommend visiting the caves and going black water rafting to anyone visiting the region.

Group Stop Blog Entry- Rachel Schnaitman

2010-01-25T17:08:00.001-08:00

Rachel Schnaitman - The Marae Visit

I really enjoyed the visit to the Marae. Not only was it full of cultural knowledge and beauty, but it really brought about a feeling of unity and family to our group.

After arriving at the Marae we were all a little nervous and didn't know exactly what to expect but we pulled together, sang our song, and were welcomed to afternoon tea. I think eating around the same table followed by doing our own dishes really fostered a homey atmosphere and really brought us together as a group. The visit to the church past beautiful countryside was full of lots of knowledge about the Mauri faith. I really enjoyed dinner at the Marae and sampling food from a different culture. Followed by a quick cleanup we all went out to the mangroves. We learned a lot about the biology of the mangroves, found a few crabs to look at, and played around in the mud. Before bed we even got a chance to look at the stars. I have never seen so many stars in my life, it was really breathtaking. I think one of my favorite parts about the stay was the sleeping arrangements. We all slept in the same room on mattresses that were all touching. This Polynesian way of ending the day was really nice and was a great start to our time in New Zealand.

The biology at the Marae was found mainly when we explored the mangroves. The mangroves growing in New Zealand, Avicennia, are the most southern growing species in the world. These mangroves play an important ecological role and are an important food source to birds, animals, and other marine organisms. To prove this we did encounter several crab species living in the sediment around the mangroves. Though we did not see any distinctive geological features to speak of, mangroves on the shore by beaches do play a geological role. They break up waves and help prevent them from reaching the shore. They also play an important role in erosion control and shoreline protection.

Overall the Marae provided a unique cultural experience. We were allowed to share meals and lodging with a friendly sharing people who showed and taught us all about their culture. We also learned a lot about the biology of New Zealand in a unique and fun way. The Marae stay was one of my favorite and most memorable experiences so far in New Zealand.

Group Stop Blog Entry- Addison Reid

2010-01-25T17:03:00.001-08:00

Addison Reid

On our second night here in New Zealand we had the opportunity to stay with the native Maori people in a Marae. I thought it was a great experience and it really opened my eyes to the culture of the Maori people. The ceremony that we were involved in to be invited on the property was fascinating. I thought that it was wonderful to be emerged in a culture other than my own and the people embraced us with open arms. The Maori people were willing to teach us about the traditional dances and chants that are an important part of their life. The trip to the chapel was a great way to learn about the religious history of the Maori people, I felt very privileged to have the opportunity to visit the resting place of Bishop Pompallier. Through this experience I feel that I have learned a lot about the history of both the Maori people and New Zealand as a country.

During our visit at the Marae we were given the chance to explore the mangroves that were growing on a mudflat close to the village. On our walk down to the mangroves we were given a brief history of the culture and how the people that stay at the Marae use the mudflat for recreational purposes. In the mudflats there was evidence of creatures such as crabs and worms. It was really interesting to see these trees and how they act not only as a natural filter but they also serve a recreational purpose such as mud racing. It was a great way to explore the many different habitats of New Zealand's wildlife and the species that thrive within them.

Group Stop Blog Entry Amanda DePasquale

2010-01-25T17:02:00.000-08:00

-Amanda DePasquale

Blog Assignment:
On Monday, January 18th, day 15 of the trip, we traveled with Stu to Waitomo to see the famous glow worm caves. I decided to pay the $99 to go black water rafting, and it was absolutely worth it. We had to put on wet suits (which was an event in itself) then boarded a truck that drove us to the field where the caves were. Apparently, Waitomo is made up of many caves which underlie the green pastures we see. Inside, there are natural rivers and waterfalls that flow through the caves which you can float through. So, we got to the cave, picked out our tube, and begun our descent into the depths of the earth. We were traveling 150 feet underground, and it was awesome.

Once we made it into the caves, it was like a completely different world. If it wasn't for the lights on our helmets, the caves would be pitch black. We made our way through the shallow waters, being careful not to slip on the rocks and keeping our hands off the stalagmites and stalactites growing within the caves. They take 100 years to grow 1 cm, and if we touch them the oils from our hands will affect their growth. So, we continued until we reached a wooden platform, where the guides told us to switch off our lights and look up. It was incredible. The ceiling was glowing, with what looked like a thousand little shining stars. Those were the glow worms. Some were brighter than others, some bigger, some slightly different colors. We learned that they are like maggots, living within the limestone ceilings of the caves. They dangle strings of spider-like webs to catch their prey, which will fly into the strings and get stuck there. When we turned our headlamps back on we could see these and the maggot like worm hanging out from the ceiling. It was really cool.
We traveled through more of the cave and got to a clearing. We were told that we had to get on our hands and knees and crawl through a cave tunnel to get to a waterfall. So, down we went and on the way Natalie got bit by and eel. Yes, there are eels swimming in the waters, along with spiders and giant crickets in the caves. Luckily, Natalie was alright, and we continued to crawl through the tunnel, passing a rather larger spider on the wall. When we got to the waterfall it was pretty cool; the water was falling out so quickly and it was pretty cold. Then we turned around and crawled back out of the cave, grabbed our tubes and were on our way.
From here we saw bones of cows and dogs, which were the remains of animals from land that fell through holes in the ground into the caves and died. We made our way through the cave and finally got to sit back into our tube and drop into the water. From here, we got to turn off our lights, put our tubes on, put our left hand on the shoulder of the person in front of us, and our right hand on the wall of the cave. Then we traveled together through the rising water in the pitch black cave. Finally we got to a place where we all started to float in our tubes and hook our feet onto the tube of the person in front of us. With our lights off, we black water rafted through the cave like it was a lazy river. The only things guiding us were the endless trail of glow worms above our heads. It was such a cool experience. At the end of the float, we got to slide down a water slide. We then made our way out of the cave and hiked up to the van to travel back to the center.
The glow worm caves at Waitomo were one of the coolest things I've ever done. It was so amazing to see the massive amounts of glow worms above us in the caves. They literally looked like hundreds of stars in the night sky. The other biology of the caves were the spiders, crickets, and eels that I luckily didn't get in direct contact with. The caves themselves were a geological wonder. They were made of limestone and filled with stalagmites and stalactites. Culturally, New Zealanders are some of the nicest people ever. They are always willing to help and are just so kind. Although a lot of the people I come in contact with are supposed to be nice (it's their job: guides, bus drivers) it just comes off so genuine. Even the New Zealanders on the streets are kind. One time I was on a bus and a kiwi came up to my group and told us how to get to our destination once we got off the bus. No one in New York would do that for complete strangers.
I never thought that I would do something like black water rafting in underground caves filled with glow worms in my life, and I am SO happy that I did. It was definitely an experience that I will not forget and will tell everyone about when I get back home. These outdoor, extreme experiences are not something that I usually do at home. Being in New Zealand has made me fearless, adventurous, and eager to try new things that I NEVER thought I would do.

(Photos compliments of Rina)

DORA AUV on NZ TV3 news

2010-01-22T14:37:00.001-08:00

NZ TV3 news carried a story yesterday about the AUV work our team has been conducting near Nelson in the South Island.
Check out the video at the link below.

http://www.3news.co.nz/Underwater-robot-explores-marine-mystery/tabid/309/articleID/138429/Default.aspx

Quick Program Update

2010-01-19T11:37:00.001-08:00

A quick photo highlight update since my last message. There have been a number of highlights to report including our trips to the active marine volcano White Island and a tour of the caves and subterranean rivers at Waitomo. There have also been lectures on geology and biology and a bunch of AUV missions in actively venting lakes around the region.

Geocache Team #7

2010-01-16T13:20:00.001-08:00

Team #7 Rachael, Katherine, Kevin, Michael Kelly

Geocache Assignment

Unfortunately, I regret to say that ur group did not find our geocache. In our first attempt to find the location, the coordinates were entered as a waypoint into a handheld Garmin GPS unit. Once this way point was selected to navigate to, the option of choosing the on-road route was not available to us because on this particular GPS unit street maps for New Zealand have not been uploaded. Once we confirmed the location's distance of approximately 2.28 miles (straight line distance) we decided to walk to it by staying as close to the highlighted route as possible in a southwest direction. We quickly found that this method was much harder and longer than what we had initially expected. Obviously we ran into obstacles like fences and paths that were blocked. This made traveling longer as we had to back track when we hit dead ends or go around obstacles. For instance, we came to the Hamilton boy's high school and crossed the playing fields only to reach a steep embankment with a fence, causing us to take a much longer route around the high school. After walking to about 45 minutes we reached downtown Hamilton at Victoria street and continued to walk in the direction of our way point. At a distance of .28 miles from the waypoint we were located on the opposite side from the location of the geocache on Lake Rotorua. At this point it was eight o'clock and walking around the lake was about two more miles and we collectively decided to come back on Wednesday because we were loosing sunlight.

On Wednesday we had learned from our mistakes and looked up the location on Google Maps, getting a street location of Lake Crescent drive near the Hamilton Yacht Club and we took a taxi to the location. Using the hints given on our assignment sheet and the handheld GPS we were able to find the location and from their proceeded to start looking for the geocache. From the hints we were given we definitely were in the right location, but after searching for over and hour we could not find the geocache. It is likely that the container we were looking for was stolen or removed as was mentioned on assignment sheet. Another indication that the geocache may have been removed is that we found fishing line attached to a tree branch with the end cut off.

In hind sight, we should have looked up the location on Google Maps and taken a taxi or bus on our first attempt to find the geocache. This would have saved us valuable time and effort. We did gain experience from this though, especially in using the GPS unit and trying to maintain a consistent direction of travel. Most importantly we learned that it is best to plan ahead, do research, and determine the best path and method of travel before attempting to find a location.

On the assignment sheet the hint said to ‘walk the plank’ and find the ‘natural seat’. Obviously this was the tree branch and while it said to take the plank furthest to the right we searched all of the branches extending into the water or ‘jelly’. The play ground is located behind this tree.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=109694450505143342780.00047d001e81e885e903a&hl=en&ie=UTF8&t=h&ll=-37.79856,175.272746&spn=0.004815,0.006652&z=17

The fishing line that we found attached to the tree.

Geocache Team #6

2010-01-16T13:13:00.000-08:00

Group #6 (Alison, Rina, Amanda, Jessie)

Our geocache was called "By Cricket!" and the location is S 37°47.135' E 175°16.318'. To find this geocache, we went on a journey through Hamilton. Our expedition began with sprinting to catch the bus at the University of Waikato. We took the bus to the furthest stop, all the way to Seddon Park- the national cricket stadium. Upon reaching the stadium, we discovered that one of our GPS units couldn't locate satellites and the other unit's batteries were dead. Luckily, we think quickly on our feet and switched the batteries into the working unit. All was good until we couldn't figure out how to program the point into the GPS. Luckily, Jessi is our resident geocache expert and after fiddling with the unit she got it! We followed the electronic signal, and it seemed that we had to climb a fence to reach our cache. We thought about laws, trespassing violation fines, the 24 hour video surveillance sign, and the groundskeeper giving us strange looks...but- we needed to find this for Art! All for you, Art! So, we all climbed the fence, watching the distance to target point numbers falling drastically- 45 m, 22 m...3 m! "Almost there," we thought! We ran into the huge yucca plants, scrambled through the thick plantings sacrificing all for our academics. For a while, we thought we lost a team member into the dense overgrowth...but she later emerged full of cobwebs- and full of frustration. We were upset, but all was solved with Amanda's quick thinking and resourcefulness. She solved the encryption clue, "just another brick in the wall". We quickly realized that we were in the wrong location, re-hopped the fence and started pounding on all the random bricks we saw. We may have looked like maniacs and crazys. But, as we said before, do it all for Art. Meanwhile, the groundskeeper got off his mower and stared at us. The next moment we looked up and saw he had left his mower unattended. This could only mean that he was going to get backup to arrest us. We knew we had to move fast! Reading the clues out loud, blindly following the GPS unit, we were frustrated, tired, and grumpy but we had to do it for Art. We were about to give up when Rina stumbled upon a strange plastic container hidden behind a plastic tarp and within a wall adjacent the practice field- our geocache! We were elated, giggling, and twirling in circles with our find! We took photos, left an American dollar, and adding our name to the log book! A successful geocache indeed!

Geocache Team #5

2010-01-16T13:12:00.001-08:00

Group: Brittany, Kristen, Royce, Brianna

Geocache: Hamilton's Greenbelt Resort

Date: 13 January 2019

Time: 11:10am

Lat: S 37°47'24.22"

Long: E 175°18'22.56"

Our successful mission started out with a lot of frustration, as the GPS took at least 25 minutes to catch and hold on to more than 2 satellite signals at a time. We were turning back to get a new GPS when it finally contacted enough satellites and was ready to navigate (we had been wandering around campus in the general direction indicated by Google Earth while we were waiting for a signal). We entered the geocache coordinates and told the GPS to lead the way.

Shortly after, the faithful GPS then proceeded to die. Royce's camera came to our rescue to lend an essential pair of AA batteries. With new energy reserves, the GPS was ready to navigate in a record-breaking 30 seconds and we set off once again. This tiny obstacle taught us how to be patient when using high tech equipment and when things do not go exactly to plan. Also, we learned that it is important to carry around extra batteries for said equipment.

Thanks to some previous planning with the aid of Google Earth, the trip to the general cache site was uneventful. Once we were reasonably close, we separated and began to search through the area. Royce and Kristen both spotted the camouflaged box between the branches of a tree. Inside the box was array of trinkets and a log book, which we signed.

Geocache Team #4

2010-01-14T19:49:00.000-08:00

We used Google Earth to plot the coordinates of where our
Geocache was supposed to be hidden. Right off the bat, before
even leaving to go find it we knew that it should be somewhere
near the pool near the center of town. Once we got there
however, things got more difficult. Our GPS was faulty and was
taking us all over the place. We completely searched an area
only to find trash in bushes. Then, once we started going in
the right direction again we crossed a street and found
another plot of land with a lot of thick vegetation. We
started looking in trees and feeling around dense bushes
somewhat aimlessly due to our inability to get a signal on the
GPS because of the trees surrounding us.
Finally, we picked up another signal and headed off in a
different direction and watched as we got closer and closer to
the correct latitude and longitude. We had solved the clue by
this point and knew that the camouflage box should be near a
tree in the base of a plant. Of course we had no idea what
this plant looked like so a member of the team called her
father and asked him to Google it quickly. We then found that
the plant had white star shaped flowers with yellow and purple
stamens. This helped immensely as we could then narrow down
the amount of bushes we looked in. After a while we were still
unsuccessful and had figured the box was moved and no longer
where it used to be. Luckily, right before we started to lose
hope, a grounds keeper noticed us frantically looking around
and walking in circles. He asked if we were GeoCache-ing and
told us around where he thought it was hidden last time. In a
few minutes we had finally found the box. Someone had re-hid
in a different plant a bit farther from where it was
originally hidden. Overall the experience was frustrating but
rewarding as we got to leave a little piece of us within the
box representing the University of Delaware.
Group: Natalie, Danielle, Katy, Sam

Geocache Team #3

2010-01-14T19:48:00.000-08:00

Christine McDonald, Emily Cahoon, Rob Gardiner, Bobby Winters

The coordinates for our geocache location were S 37 degrees 47.317' E 175 degrees 17.094'. It wasn't too difficult to find because we were already familiar with Victoria St. in downtown Hamilton. After looking at Google Maps we could see that finding the statue of Riff Raff wouldn't be too challenging. We started our trip out of the dorms, followed the path to Knighton Road and turned onto Clyde street. We walked for a while until we made to Bridge street and eventually turned right onto Victoria St. The walk took our group about 50 minutes and we spent another 15 minutes searching the area around the statue of Riff Raff. We started by deciphering the code given to us. The code read "Look around the legs of seats. The cache is magnetized to the metal part on the legs of one of the chairs. Keep at the street leel and start on the middle leg of the rear set of seats." So we knew to check the benches for the geocache.

Initially our GPS led down the hill a little bit to a different set of benches. After failing to find the container on the caches below, we decided to go back up to the street level set of benches where the statue was. We looked at the hint more carefully and found the container stuck to the leg of a bench with a magnet. Excited that we found the geocache, we opened it up and signed the log. The geocache was made out of a bubble gum box wrapped in duct tape, which was well camouflaged to the leg of the bench. We took a few pictures and then returned the little container back to the hiding place. We then celebrated our success with some awesome kebabs from a nearby restaurant.

ROV and AUV Highlights from New Zealand

2010-01-13T13:18:00.001-08:00

Waikato University dives into lake-bed research | Stuff.co.nz

2010-01-13T12:19:00.000-08:00

Today's issue of the Waikato Times carried a nice story about when the study abroad group visited the AUV team during a deployment at Weaver's Crossing.

Waikato University dives into lake-bed research | Stuff.co.nz

Team #1 Geocache

2010-01-12T15:21:00.000-08:00

Addison, Erika, Christina, and Ethan

Geocache: Buffalo Grill (Waikato)

Time Found: 7:15:36 PM

Date Found: 11/1/2010

Location: S 37⁰ 47.607, E 175⁰ 17.647 (difference due to accuracy of GPS at site)

On our journey we came across some pretty ordinary sites: parks, The Warehouse, and tons of Chinese Takeaways, amongst others. Probably the most interesting of all was the actual building that the cache was under, which is hundreds of years old and stands stark compared to its modern counterparts. In its former life, Cook’s (as it is known now), was a corset factory and a lodge at one point or another, but now only the façade remains as the public enjoys their pints with a view of the park across the street.

Weak GPS signals, trees, and fences were just about our only obstacles in finding our geocache. We found ourselves under trees and extremely close to two-story buildings, which led to a severe drop-off in our unit’s accuracy and much head-scratching as to where the corner we were to reach under was (our secret hint.) Plus, our adventurous sides said to go down a safe side alley, until we were confronted by a six-foot fence, which we scaled (while possibly trespassing). Our law breaking was also compounded by our frequent jaywalking attempts (and near misses with local traffic.) All in all, it was a relatively painless procedure, save for the gravel in our sandals.

The actual cache was a “200mL Sistema box, painted camouflage,” as our instructions told us. The problem is a 200mL box could be any number of dimensions, so that piece of information really wasn’t helpful. We also had no idea what the heck a Sistema box was, so until we found it and realized it was a brand that did no good either. The words “painted camouflage,” made us think that it would be in a park or up a tree, but it was painted a bluish purple and resided in a dark corner, which seems like a bit of a stretch for the use of the word “camouflage.” Once we found it, however, the box contained a few trinkets left behind by others, a log book, which we noted our presence in, and a note to take only if you can replace with something else (in our case, Erika’s drawing of a cat.)

Geocache Team #2

2010-01-12T14:43:00.000-08:00

Brett, Trevor, Emily, Laura

Our Geocache Journey

Coordinates: S 37^o47.057 E 175^o17.048

We began our epic adventure by first Google mapping our coordinates to get an idea of where our geocache was located. After that we went to a bus stop where we failed to hitchhike after a bus high-tailed it right past us.

So we went to a different bus stop where we got on a green bus. After talking for the bus driver for a half hour, he asked us if we were in a hurry, so we finally left and the kind man dropped us off near the Claudesland Bridge.

Unsure of the right direction we started walking in the middle of the street towards the river.

It took a while for the GPS to acquire a signal.

We were uncertain if we would find the park before coming to the river as we were getting ever so close to it, and tension started to brew amongst group members. We knew it was near a bridge, so we got excited when we saw bridge signs.

Thankfully as we got closer and closer to the bridge, the park appeared.

Now finally in the park, we used the GPS to try and find the exact location based on the coordinates, and also by using our clue, which was “Beside the very large tree and under a small fallen one”. It was hard to tell where exactly to look as the GPS coordinates were jumping around and the signal was lost many times.

We thought we saw something in the woods that looked promising, but after risking our lives on the steep inclined dirt hill through the trees, we sadly came across an old case of beer.

After this failed attempt, we reconvened in the middle of the park to get our heads together and come up with a new strategy.

We decided to just check all big trees we could find, which lead to more exhilarating and dare-deviling endeavors. Upon spotting a fairly large tree near the bottom of the bridge, we shockingly came across a homeless man sleeping on a mattress under the bridge. Not wanting to disturb him we thought it’d be best to try a different tree. (Photo omitted for privacy)

This other large tree we then found was right near the park’s entrance and conveniently had a small fallen tree next to it. However, that small tree was covered with brush and sticks. Since one of the commenters on the geocache sheet said that he had added more camouflage to hide the geocache better, we were certain then that the geocache must have been under this tree. After spending thirty minutes of strenuous labor trying to remove the brush, our hearts were crushed when no geocache was found.

It was getting darker by the minute and as it appeared all hope had been lost, we greatly considered giving up. However, we calmed down, regrouped, and planned to check out what was near any large tree we could see.

After some searching, we spotted an enormous tree with a small fallen tree near it, and after some more rummaging, there lied the geocache – a plastic Tupperware container.

Inside we found some interesting items that included a toy figure of Zazu from The Lion King, a marble, a fork, and a New Zealand fifty-cent coin. Also there was a pencil and sheet for us to sign our names and date on. We decided to leave an item of our own in the box, so we put in a penny to show our patriotism.

Then we put the container back where we found it, and covered it up as best as possible since we had spent a couple hours looking for it. It only seemed fair.

After a group hug, we took a picture of the coordinates the GPS were giving us at a location nearest to the container.

After our successful quest, we were more than happy to walk the hour-long route back to the university.

The End

NZ Winter 2010 Photo Highlights

2010-01-12T14:11:00.001-08:00

A few highlights from our few week in New Zealand. Already the group has seen and done much including our stay at Tamatea Marae, climbing the giant dunes at Te Puke Stream, visiting Waitangi, Pahia, the Hole in the Rocks, exploring the hot springs at Hot Water Beach, hiking down to Cathedral Cove, and many many other challenges.

2010-01-02T07:21:00.000-08:00

Royce Jones
NZ Study Abroad

After reading the chapter on Cook and the relationship with
the Maori people, I have a better understanding of how the two
races get along today. Although the Polynesians were the
first to come across New Zealand in exploration, Captain Cook
was the first to develop important relationships with the
native people. The Maori people did not take kindly to the
"intruders" initially because neither group knew anything
about the other which brought fear to both groups. The Maori
culture was very different than the English culture Cook
brought with him and this led to a difficult interactions
between the two groups.
During the first meeting, blood was shed and the
English were introduced to the haka or Maori war chant. This
was used for intimidation purposes, originally against other
tribes, but the English became very used to it very quickly
after seeing it various times. Some of what I found most
interesting is how the cultures are represented today. It
is made to seem that the two groups got along swimmingly in
their first encounters as a way to find a middle ground in
describing their histories. Originally trading was what
brought the two groups together, and the English respected the
Maoris' warrior characteristics. What surprised me the most
was how the two cultures today do not properly share their old
relationships truthfully. Instead of embracing their
differences, they look to make each other more similar than
they really are.

I plan to get a lot out of this trip culturally,
educationally and personally. Exploring all the different
terrains and habitats in New Zealand will be nothing I could
experience anywhere else in the world. With my lack knowledge
in geology, I hope to better understand the physical world in
geological terms. Such as being able to brag to my friends
back home which waves are which. I am excited to see
different volcanic sites and understand the rock formation and
flora and fauna populations that inhabit the area. The
different sites that we will be going to on the coast will be
the most intriguing aspects of our adventures because of my
interest in marine sciences.
The educational purposes of this trip will not be the
only element I will be looking forward to. Meeting native
people and seeing where their culture comes from will be a
great experience in itself. One of the most exciting parts of
the trip is how much traveling we will be doing and the vast
range of communities we will get to know. On my free weekend
I hope to see the National Rugby team compete and get a first
hand sight of the Maori War Chant. Not just the events of New
Zealand will add to this trip, I am looking forward to forming
friendships with the other students and the faculty.

Pre-Departure Blog

2010-01-01T23:41:00.001-08:00

Laura Treible

Chapter 4 of Blue Latitudes tells the history of Captain James Cook's journey and
arrival in New Zealand. The author Tony Horowitz tells his own story of
exploring New Zealand by comparing it to Cook's explorations of the same
locations. Cook's discovery of New Zealand was significantly affected by the
relationships with the Maori, the native people living there. The Europeans,
called Pakeha, did not understand the Maori culture and customs. Likewise, the Maori did not understand these new people coming to their land.

The most interesting thing to read was the differences in how the interactions of
the two groups were portrayed. The differences in how the history of New
Zealand is told is similar to how we as Americans learn about the Revolutionary
War. We have always been taught to see the English soldiers as the enemy, but
in England, their history books regard us as doing wrong. A woman from a tour
commented, "In school, the Maori were presented as warriors and savages. No
one told us Cook killed people when he landed." It was surprising to see how
the same history is still seen in two different lights depending on which group of
people you talk to. Cook is generally portrayed as a hero, but the Maori people
see him more as taking away from their culture and traditions.

I have many different objectives for this program and this trip. Personally, I
really wan to explore as many new places as possible. So far I have only been
outside of the US once, and I am really excited for the opportunity to travel
again. It is so fascinating to see how people in different countries live, especially
in places with such a rich history like New Zealand. Learning more about the
Maori culture is definitely something I want to do. I really want to try to learn as
many Maori words and as much Kiwi slang as possible to really experience New
Zealand culturally.

From an environmental standpoint, I really want to take in all that the unique
New Zealand environment has to offer. I cannot wait to experience the southern
hemisphere climate and immense biological diversity. In the future I want to
pursue a career in marine science, so I am very excited to learn about the
biology and geology of the coastal environment. This trip will most definitely be
an amazing experience and I look forward to taking in all that this trip has to
offer.

Predeparture Blog Assignment

2010-01-01T22:19:00.001-08:00

Brittany Schieler
Pre-Departure Blog Assignment.
January 2, 2009

In chapter 4 of Blue Latitudes, Horwitz recounts Cook's journey to the islands of
New Zealand with a significant emphasis on the perspectives of the Maori
natives to his arrival. His writing, both accessible and extremely entertaining,
gives a great introduction to the nation's interesting history. In his piece,
Horwitz downplays the predominant view of a heroic and honorable captain and
paints a more realistic picture of these events. In addition, he focuses on how
Cook's "discovery" of New Zealand affected the natives already there and how it
lead to the modern hostility between the Pakeha, New Zealanders of European
decent, and the native Maori.

What was most interesting for me was learning about how current Pakeha and
Maori view each other. I must say, lacking knowledge on the history on the
founding of New Zealand, I was ignorant to the fact that any hostility even
existed at all. The parallels between Maori and Native Americans and the civil
rights movement, as well as the differences, also intrigued me. Much like the
Native Americans, the Maori were forced off lands and their culture repressed by
early European conquerors. And much like in the civil rights movement,
modern Maori evoked the words of the "founding father" and old treaties to
begin to reclaim justice.

What surprised me most in the reading was that despite all of the current
negative views of the Maori toward Cook, he seemed to be very understanding
toward the cultural barriers present at their encounters. For example, Horwitz
mentions that Cook defended the act of cannibalism in his writing, even when
his own sailors succumbed to this horrific fate, showing he was quite seemingly
sympathetic to Maori cultural traditions and beliefs.

Today, we all embark on our own personal "captain cook" journeys. Much like
the Maori hongi greeting perplexed the explorers and the Maori mistook the
ship's sails as the "wings of a giant bird," I expect that I will encounter many
new and unfamiliar things throughout this trip. I hope to use this opportunity to
learn as much as I can about Maori culture the way of life in New Zealand.

In addition, as a biology major with an interest in marine science, I wish to use
this opportunity to experience and learn from an extremely unique and diverse
coastal environment. I believe I will gain indispensible tools and knowledge as I
prepare for a career in marine science research. I have heard and read numerous
times about the beauty of New Zealand, both on land and in the ocean, and can
not wait to experience it for myself.

blog entry Kristen Beebe

2010-01-01T20:42:00.001-08:00

Kristen Beebe
In the book Blue Latitudes by Horwitz, the 4th chapter explains both some
history of the travels of Captain James Cook and his encounters with the Maori
of New Zealand and the modern culture of New Zealand society. There is an
interesting interplay between both the ancestors of the Maori and those of
English decent (called the Pakeha). As well, there are mixed feelings toward the
conquest of Cook, that of introducing civilization or destroying an ancient
culture. The confusion regarding Cook and his exploits, even his appearance, as
referenced by an inaccurate sculpture erected at the location of where Cook first
landed on New Zealand soil is exemplified in the chapter.
In particular, the culture of the Maori warriors is explained in the chapter.
This short preview into the lives of the Maori and their strong heritage was very
enlightening and interesting. First of all, the Maori engaged in cannibalism, only
consuming defeated enemies from the warring tribes inhabiting the island. It
was believed that consuming the flesh of other humans stripped the deceased
of their spirit and power. As well, the warriors painted and tattooed their faces
with fierce markings, making the men appear ferocious. Accompanying this
daunting visual display was a pre-battle dance known as the haka. Furthermore,
weapons included a variety of clubs and spears dipped in venoms or combined
with stingray stingers, amongst others.
I found the most surprising part of the chapter to be about the different
views of modern New Zealanders and their feelings toward the conquest of
Cook. In one interview, the writer talks with a known Maori gang. Although
many of the men explain that Cook was not the first to explore the region and
that he simply stormed in and recklessly killed innocents, there are others that
recognize other conquerors in the past were worse and the benefits of western
culture are a pleasant commodity. Many despise the Pakeha, although most New
Zealanders are a mix of both cultures, and there has been a recent surge in
cultural appreciation for Maori decent since the 1970's.
My personal goals of exploration for this trip include expanding my
understanding of another culture, living a little outside my comfort zone, and
learning hands on about the biology of the coastlines in New Zealand. I also do
not only want to visit another culture, but become immersed in it, as this is the
only way to truly learn about another civilization. I hope to broaden my
understanding of Maori and English decent and its influences in the region,
viewing the opposing backgrounds and how they mesh into a beautiful and
unique modern culture today.
This study abroad trip will be similar in a way to me as discovering New
Zealand was for Cook. There is a sense of interest, excitement, and fear.
Although, I am not the first person on the island, my own personal experience
parallels the same range of emotions described. I hope to push myself to learn
as much as possible while abroad and branch out into a new culture I have not
known before now.

entry!

2010-01-01T20:26:00.001-08:00

Emily B. Cahoon

The chapter on Cook was surprisingly humorous, which I enjoyed. I also enjoyed the way the author paralleled his experiences with Cook's experience. I was stunned there was such a vivid and detailed account of Cook's landing on New Zealand. Also, I was surprised that when he pointed his "walking stick" and killed one of the natives, that they did not react more negatively. That is usually the start of a battle between natives and explorers. I was also surprised that Cook took the initiative when interacting with the natives. He would lay down his weapon before approaching a warrior, very courageous. I was impressed he strived to make friendships with the natives.
I am shocked how many incidents from Cook's arrival have been documented and celebrated or recognized. For example the first witnessing of the haka which is now a ritual of the country's rugby team, they perform it prior to every match. Their current culture seems fascinating and it's interesting to read how the Maori view the Pakeha and visa versa. I look forward to experiencing first hand how they interact.
For my own experience I am exceedingly excited to see a different part of the world; I have only heard positive and wonderful things about the country. I love to meet new people and I hope that I can pick up some of the language and maybe even bring home a few of the slang words! I want to try different foods and investigate the biology found along the coast and do some hiking! I very much look forward to experiencing the Tongariro Crossing.
I hope to see as many volcanoes as possible during the trip. I want to explore the inside and outside of every volcano I can get my hands on! I am positive that traveling to New Zealand to study geology will only amplify my zeal and dedication for the field of volcanology, my concentration. I am ecstatic to see active volcanics and learn more about the geological history of New Zealand. Last but not least, I of course cannot wait to see all the sheep and discover what kinds of life the coasts thrive in.