P.S.S. Solid Gold!

Just in case you are missing those hits of the 1960s and 70's, here is the link for Solid Gold FM so that you can hear those familiar Gatorwaka sounds via live streaming. Enjoy!

P.S. Survey Answers

The most abundant mammal on the South Island of New Zealand is the brush tail possum (70 million possums, 14 million sheep, one million people).  

The only mammals native to New Zealand are a few bat species.

August 4, 2010 Safe Travels!

Our class left this evening for the long flights home.  May the journey be safe and not too tiring!

Wednesday, August 4th, 2010 - The Journey Home and Beyond

Kia Ora.  Having been emersed in Kiwi and Maori culture for the past five weeks will make the journey back to American culture another adventure.  Our students will take with them lasting memories of the challenges and opportunities of what not only New Zealand faces, but what the rest of the world faces as well.  Preserving biological diversity, conserving resources, and maintaining a balance between natural and human built environments are key to a sustainable future.  And, it will take all of us with our diverse backgrounds to come together in many different ways to help make lasting change for a bright future.  


Dear students, we hope that what you have experienced with us in New Zealand will help shape the decisions you make for our future in exciting and positive ways.  We thank you for giving of yourselves openly with your hearts and minds so that our time together could be such a special learning opportunity for us all.  We have really loved being with all of you, touring the wop-wops, and sharing a daily cuppa. Sweet As!

From the land of the long white cloud, safe and happy travels!  See you in the land of the flowers (La Florida).  With a special Hongi and hug to each of you, m&m

Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010 - A Time of Celebration and Good Memories

While it was a free day, much of it was spent finishing course journals and the slide show and preparing for the last get together at night at the Famous Grouse Hotel and Restaurant.  We gathered together the students, lecturers, and friends - all essential in making our adventures successful and fun!  With thanks, we celebrated our time together and enjoyed a music video by Jamm and Tupelo along with a slide show of our New Zealand experience.  Not wanting to think about going home, we relived memorable times together over the last five weeks.  Special thanks to our students for diving into our adventures with great enthusiasm, our guest lecturers for sharing their time and expertise, and our friends and families for their support.  Thanks also to our students for the special Koha treasures - very thoughtful and special.  They, and especially our time together, will be cherished.


P.S.  Too bad it was cloudy so we missed out on the Southern Lights!

Monday, August 2nd, 2010 - White Flippered Penguins and Willowbank Reserve

Monday morning and afternoon were left to class decision, and our gang decided they wanted to try to see White Flippered Penguins that were rumored to be nesting off the Banks Peninsula.  Mark contacted a scientist working with this endangered species.  With permission and tips on how to see them, we were off to see what we could see.  Despite rain, we worked our way over to the surfer's beach and batches at Taylor's Mistake and set off along the Godley Head Track.  

Mark took some time to explain that because this particular species of penguin only nests in this one spot and off a small island off the coast of this area, the Center for Biological Diversity (based in California) who petitioned to have several species of penguins listed as endangered because of global warming issues included the White Flippered Penguin on the list.  Our adventure took us through a predator fence (still being erected) and down a long steep ladder to a rocky coastline where nest boxes had been constructed along a 200 meter stretch of the coastline to help facilitate both nesting and scientific observation/study.  

We carefully peeked into the next boxes along the stretch of coastline and were able to see a total of six penguins!  An amazing and surreal experience for all!

Monday evening we experienced Willowbank Reserve.  Willowbank cares for New Zealand wildlife that occurs both naturally in the country as well as species that are part of the country's history (i.e., species that were introduced by colonists over time).  Some of these species are domestic such as chickens and horses, others have become pest species such as wallabies and possums.  The park seeks to educate residents and visitors as to the heritage and challenges New Zealand's animal species bring to the table.  Our nighttime tour also included native New Zealand species where we saw our first Tuatara, Kiwi, and Morepork.

An additional tour was to experience Ko Tane - a Maori cultural performance.  We all had a wonderful time, and our gals got to give Poi a go and 

our guys got to give the haka a go as part of the show.  

Experiencing the strong and beautiful singing voices of the women and a true Haka were, again, amazing experiences.  

Following our tours we had dinner at Willowbank and had a chance to thank Colin, Tupelo, Jamm and Meryl for their assistance with the course, and of course the students for their enthusiasm and sense of adventure for making the course a success.

P.S.  It is lambing season on the Banks Peninsula and the hills are alive with the sounds of baby lambs.

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Free time!

July 31st Washpen Falls- Meurky Walk

The group at the top of Washpen Falls - a bit windy!

Today we took a hike at Washpen Falls in Canterbury.  Washpen Falls got its name indirectly from sheep.  European farmers thought that their wool would sell better in England if it was washed.  Therefore, before the sheep were shorn, the sheep got a bath in the creek.  Pens were built in the creek and voila – Washpen Creek!   The hike is on a farmer’s property that not only includes a working farm, but a beautiful gorge that is covered in both native and exotic vegetation.  It was a bit blustery this day with a norwester blowin’ but we donned on our gear and headed up the track.  Lots of Bellbirds were singing around us as we hiked up the trail. 

The gorge was once used by the Maori to trap and kill the giant moa.  They would herd these giant, flightless birds into the gorge and killed them with spears.  Along the trail were several large lava boulders that were blown from volcanic activity 89 million years ago.  Also along the way, we saw several white circles painted on the canyon walls by the late Tom Stone.  These targets were used by the home guard for training during World War II.

Our intrepid scientist, Dr. Colin Meurk, identified a number of different plant species along the trail.  One of these plants were beech trees (genus Sophora), which are endemic to New Zealand.  The trees we passed where covered with a black velvety fungus called Sooty Mould.  In the Sooty Mould there were hundreds of hairlike projections, each with a drop of liquid on the end.  This liquid is sweet honeydew, which is a mixture of sugars excreted by small, scale insects (Homoptera) that feed on the sap from the trees. .  All of us tried a little of this liquid – good even with the knowledge it is the excrement of a small insect! Honeydew feeds a number of different species including bellbirds, lizards, tuis, and bees.  Bees use this liquid to make a unique honey called Honeydew honey.

Washpen Falls

Irina licking some honeydew off of a beech tree.

Kristin giving here best troll face.