Winding Down

Watching Fools and Dreamers whilst waiting for our dinner.

Later, watching our class slideshow with many of the wonderful people we have met and helped along our travels.

Student Journals from the past five weeks recounting both scientific information and personal responses to our experiences were due today, and we celebrated the course end tonight with dinner out and watching Fools and Dreamers (about Hinewai and Hugh Wilson!), and then time with the folks who have helped us along the way and a slideshow (cramming as many photos as we could of over 4,000 photos into just about 200 slides).  We have done so much – worked hard and had a lot of fun! Thank you for the good memories All.

Sweet Dreams, Meryl

Freetime Fun And Willowbank

 

Sadly, we have only a few days left. Our five-week journey seems to have gone by so quickly. We started our day with student’s choice - a morning out in Christchurch climbing at the rock climbing gym, and then tucked into some Hillyers pies for lunch.

We spent the afternoon and evening at Willowbank. Willowbank is a wildlife reserve where we had a chance to see up close both exotic animals that settlers brought and cause problems here in New Zealand (everything from deer to rabbits to wallaby, etc), as well as native animals which the reserve is trying to rehab, educate the public about, or help with repopulation efforts (kiwi, kaka, etc). In addition, we had a Ko Tane or Maori experience where the “gals” got to try Poi Balls and the “guys” got to try a haka. Ka Pai! Afterwards, we gathered in the restaurant to have a hangi which is food smoked in the ground. Very tasty!

Cheers, Dr. H and Meryl

Thursday, July 25 -Sheep, Greening Waipara, and Lip Sync

The start of our three day and two night trip was in full sun and pretty warm. Our first stop in the gatorwakawa was a green development called Pegasus. Here, we explored some for the pluses (rain gardens and swales, dark-sky lighting, and use of native plants) and minuses (used a lot of exotic plants) that the developer helped to set up. At the back of the development, there was some conserved open space where they are just beginning to restore with native plantings.

At the beach near Pegasus development

After tea time at Pukeko Junction, we explored the Greening Waipara project across many wineries and within the community of Waipara. The wineries incorporated biodiversity trails and planted natives within the planted vines. The idea is to provide habitat for insect predators that would eat the pests of the vines. Also - the biodiversity trails allow people to experience a little bit of their natural heritage while sipping their wine. We met with Daryl Harris, the local champion of the project and 4th generation rancher in the area. Daryl is a strong supporter of the project and has planted thousands of native plants in the area. He also uses his sheep to graze within the vineyards to keep weeds down.

Colin at Pegasus Bay Winery and the biodiversity trail

A longfin eel was sighted in the pond

Daryl explaining hos philosophy of pesticide reduction and planting natives

Daryl's Bear (the sheepdog) herding merino sheep

Daryl sorting out the sheep

We placed our belongings at the Sleeper Cars Backpackers at Waipara. We then went over to Daryl's for a home cooked meal of lamb, beef, roasted veggies and pavlova for dessert. Incredible! Then we had our traditional lip sync contest - much fun all around. Even had several games of the card game mafia. After dinner, had a cooold night in the sleeper cars

Night night. Dr H

Red Zone Restoration

       Today we revisited the Red Zone to help out with restoration with Dr. Colin Meurk and Scott Butcher from the Avon Otakoro Network. This group was formed in 2015 and does ecological work in the Red Zone by trying to establish a forest park and other vegetation that would’ve existed in this area historically.

The site that we went to is leased to them by the government for about 5 years. This short amount of time makes it hard to do restoration, but the goal is to plant enough natives that eventually the land becomes self-sustaining and there needs to be minimal intervention from the group. They hope that with all the new planting, native forest birds like the Kereru, fantail, and Tui will hopefully come flooding back. In fact, there were several fierce fantails fluttering round our site as we were working, possibly being a positive omen for the future of this land. 

As with most of the sites that we have been completing restoration on, Dr. Meurk reminded us that the central idea for these ecological corridors is to create a stepping stones throughout the city that will provide native wildlife habitat while coexisting with people. The Red Zone is heavily mowed, which encourage the growth of weeds and discourages the growth of native seedlings, and Dr. Meurk estimated that mowing costs about 1-2 million dollars a year. In the end, we ended up planting over 105 native species. This includes coprosma, lancewood, and even some baby totora! 

After stopping for some lunch, we headed on to our next destination. On the way, Dr. Meurk stopped by a river filled with Canadian Geese and other waterfowl. He stopped by a tree with lichen growing on it and let us all try out his handy pocket magnifying glass. He told us about how blue-green aglae fixate nitrogen and that we should all put that small magnifier on our shopping list. 

We then went on over to the Avebury House and met with Tanya the keeper of the house. This large Victorian House used to be owned by the Flesher Family back in the 1850s but is now used as a sort of Community Center. Yoga classes, workshops, and various clubs use this space harmoniously. The house has been threatened many times to be torn down, but the community always assembles and saves it. 

The house also has a community garden that is maintained weekly by citizens of the town and many of the food is either donated or sold. We walked through the native garden, called Koru Garden. It is named after the Maori word for loop or coil, represented by an unfurling silver fern frond. The unfurling fern is a symbol of rebirth, growth, and strength. In fact, a small part of the garden is planted in the shape of a spiral and circulates around a large wooden carving of a fern. Dr. Meurk walked us through the forested part of the garden which is home to large native trees like the totora, lemonwood, and kauri tree. He told us that the canopy cover of the larger trees provides the perfect space for their seedlings to grow. In fact, we stumbled upon two small totora seedlings just beginning their climb towards the sky. 

After saying goodbye to Dr. Meurk and the Avebury House, we piled into the Gator Waka and had teatime at a C4. Tomorrow starts our free weekend in Queenstown, but we will be back on Monday to explore more of the Canterbury region. - Tatiana

Dr. Colin Meurk and the group at the Red Zone

Planting natives and helping to restore the Red Zone

Taking a peak at some lichen growing on this tree

The group at Avebury House

A portion of the community garden at Avebury House that will be donated

The group and Dr. Meurk at the Koru Garden

Learning about the native trees that provide canopy cover to seedlings in the Koru Garden

Birds, Beaches, and Bright Skies

       Our first day back in Lincoln was a well welcomed sunny one. Compared to the grey and wet west coast, we were all pretty happy to be back on campus and shed off a few layers. The first stop of the day was to meet Dr. Colin Meurk and his PhD student at Travis Wetland. This area used to be dairy land and in the 1990s there was talk of filling in the wetlands for housing. Thankfully, in 1997 the City Council acquired the land and set up the nature heritage park we now know as Travis Wetland. Hundreds of birds call this place home and we were fortunate guests. We all walked the 2.5-mile perimeter of the wetlands, noting the various plant species and birds that we encountered on our journey. 

                      Dr. Meurk educating us on the background and importance of Travis Wetlands.

                                 Some black swans and multiple ducks that call Travis Wetlands home.

       Today, we were conducting bird surveys to get a better idea of the avian species that inhabit this other-worldly dwelling. Everyone paired up and conducted either a point count, standing in one area and identifying and counting every bird you see in a 10-minute time frame, or a count on a transect, looking in one direction for 20 meters and then in the other for the same amount of time while identifying and counting all birds within the area. It is very important that birds flying over or through your area were ignored for the survey. 

                                                                                 Conducting a bird count.

                                  Just one of the data sheets completed on the transect for the bird count.

       Our next stop was at New Brighton Beach. Dr. Meurk pointed out the exotic grasses, that were originally introduced by Europeans, and how they were still dominating these coastal areas. After dipping our toes in the icy Pacific water, we ran across the street to the playground and instantly became kids again. This particular playground was home to the infamous Flying Fox, a zipline type of ride. Sadly, it was not functioning today but we all still made use of the giant climbing tree, see-saw, slides, and swings. 

                                                             All of us at New Brighton Beach. 

                                                       Giant climbing tree at the playground.

       Next, Dr. Meurk took us to the Red Zone, an area highly affected by the liquefaction caused by the 2010-2011 earthquakes. The entire area used to be suburbia, but after the houses were deemed un-liveable the government had to set up a department responsible for managing the evacuation of the area, removal of houses, and turning it into a parkland environment. Dr. Meurk also explained to us how the land is managed currently is not ideal. Extensive mowing and spraying of plants are actually discouraging the growth of native seedlings and encouraging the growth of various weeds. 

              The Red Zone, previously all suburbia, is now a parkland environment.

           Dr. Meurk pointing out that extensive mowing and sprawing 

         has caused a severe decrease in growth of native coprosma.

  

       Our very last stop of the day was at the Avon Heathcote Estuary. This area is also a huge habitat for waterfowl and migratory species. The estuary actually opened up the area and allowed high tide to come in and be a more suitable habitat for these birds. 

       The class at Avon Heathcote Estuary.

       The water was alive with birds and seemed so picturesque with the setting sun casting its golden hue on the landscape. We all finally piled back into the Gator Waka satisfied with our experiences of the day and eager for what tomorrow will bring.

- Tatiana