Geog 207 Fieldtrip to Northland!

Hello,

This past week my geography 207 course had a fieldtrip to Northland. I went to Northland with the BU program a couple weeks ago, but that was a weekend trip where this was 5 days. Northland is the region located above Auckland to the northern most part of New Zealand (hence Northland). Throughout my geography course we had been learning about various aspects of Northland ranging from: disadvantaged communities, economy, coast, sand dunes, kauri trees and tourism. In the past few decades Northland has been struggling, and in this fieldtrip we were able to see first-hand everything we had learned about in the classroom (talk about experiential learning!). The course had around 70 students, of which about 15 were from the BU program and the rest were new zealanders or other international students. All food and accommodation was provided (since we had paid $140 for the trip). I figure the easiest way to tell you all about what I experienced is to go day by day:

Monday February 1
The first day we met at the University of Auckland and split into 8 vans (plus the one van for food). The vans all had between 7-11 people in them, with a tutor or lecturer driving them. Choosing vans was pretty much a free for all, and I ended up in a van with one other American, 3 New Zealanders whose families are from Samoa, 1 person from Thailand who grew up in New Zealand, one girl from China (who did not speak much English) who is not actually in the class but is doing research in geography)and two other New Zealanders. Our van driver was Gretel, who is one of the lecturers from the course who specializes in kauri trees. We were in a 12 person van so we had a bit of room.
Once we were in the vans and going, we made our first stop at Kaipara lookout. Kaipara is the first district within Northland and we got our first glimpse of Northland here. We also saw Kaikoura Harbour which is the second largest harbour in the world. We then went to visit Muriwai Valley Farm in Kaipara. Muriwai Valley Farm is an organic farm and the woman who runs it spoke to us about the challenges of running an organic farm. We then went on to the Matakohe Kauri Museum where we learned about kauri trees. It was a very hands-on museum which was cool. The kauri tree is the second largest tree in the world and the largest in the southern hemisphere. It used to be Auckland's biggest export and was used for everything, but now kauri trees are protected and not used. Kauri gum (sap inside the tree) used to be highly sought after, and there was a whole room filled with objects made from kauri gum (even a castle!). We then went on to Kaipara Kumara in Ruawai and learned about a tourist venture called Kauri Country and the Kaipara Kumara organization to learn about the challenges they face. However, both of our guest speakers were unable to come, so our lecturers filled in. We then drove to Kai Iwi Lakes which was absolutely beautiful and had a chance to splash around there. Then we went to Dargaville where we stayed for the night at the Northern Wairoa Hotel (more like a motel/hostel). After a delicious dinner, our van did discussion questions (which we had to do daily and they make up a percentage of our final grade). The hotel was really nice with comfortable beds, but there were no bathrooms in the room, so it was more like dorm-style living.

Tuesday February 2
The second day we awoke to a delicious breakfast made by the hotel. They serve this spaghetti soup thing on toast which I didn't have, but some people really seemed to like it. They also have these dry wheat crackers/biscuits, and some people tried to complete a challenge of putting peanut butter on the cracker and eating it within a minute - no one was able to complete it. I tried the cracker but dipped it in milk and put some sugar on it, which was good. Also before we left the hotel we put tape and decorated our van. We named the van: "The Vandastic Lady Mahuta" after our driver who is nicknamed "The Lady Mahuta" because the largest kauri tree is called Tane (translated to "man") Mahuta.
Anyways we then left the hotel and were on our way. The first stop was Trounson kauri Park. This was the first governmentally protected kauri park in New Zealand. They began protecting the kauri because they were becoming extinct, and Northland is really the only area where kauri trees thrive. Walking through the kauri park was really interesting because I was able to see the different types of kauri trees we had learned about in class. Also, it was interesting to hear what New Zealanders thought about the trees. One person was a chemistry major in the class and he knew so much about the kauri trees just from growing up in New Zealand! We then went to Waipoua Centennial Trust Farm and learned from our lecturers (after another no-show guest lecturer) about what the Trust does. The Trust is trying to re-grow Kauri trees in this area so that in 500 years (that's how long it takes for kauri trees to reach their full height) the kauri forest will be what it used to be prior to man. The Waipoua Forest is New Zealand's largest sub-tropical rainforst and contains the largest remaining area of kauri forest. We then drove within the Waipoua Forest and saw Tane Mahuta, the largest Kauri tree and had a picnic lunch there (make your own sandwiches which were good). We then drove onto Hokianga Heads and discussed tourism on the west coast. We also learned that the Hokianga coast is made form uplifted sandstone sediment. We then took our vans on the Rawene ferry to reach Tamatea Marae in Motuti, North Hokianga.
A marae is a Maori sacred place which serves religious and social purposes. Before arriving, the chief took us to the top of a hill where we were able to see the marae in a unique, wider perspective. We were able to see all the areas around the marae, including the harbour which it sits on. We then went down to the outskirts of the marae and saw the church where bishop Pompellier was buried. Then we had the ceremonial welcome where one of the women sings as we entered in. We then went in the meeting house where the official welcome ceremony happened with lots of speeches and singing. We had to sing two songs to the iwi (tribe) that was hosting us in Maori which was fun. We then had Maori food (which was delicious) then went back in the meeting house to prepare for bed. The meeting house was filled with tons of matresses and pillows for all of us, and we supplied our own sleeping bags. Once everyone had a bed, we all introduced ourselves and where we come from. The Marae was a great experience where I was actually able to see what Maori culture was like and learn about their struggles.

Wednesday February 3
On Wednesday we had a Maori breakfast which was good and then had the farewell ceremony to leave the marae, complete with more singing. We then switched gears to the coastal beach portion of our trip. We first stopped by Ahipara for lunch and a swim in the Tasman sea. We then drove to the base of the Ninety Mile Beach for our first beach measuring activities. In our vans we had to complete a series of activities to gather information about the waves, sediment and dunes. After the measuring, we played some games on the beach and then drove on through Sandhills Road to pass by different types of sand dunes. We then arrived at Puheke and climbed the hill (which was really intense and I think should be more considered to be a mountain) to see a spectacular view of the Karikari penninsula. We then drove to Whatuwhiwhi where we stayed the night. Whatuwhiwhi was a campsite area where we stayed in "cabins" which were really just 4 person rooms with bunk-beds and bathrooms not connected to the rooms. It was right on the water and so nice. We had a BBQ there which was good.

Thursday February 4
On Thurssday we continued our beach measurement exercises and compared the beaches on the west coast to those on the east coast. We went to Matai Bay which is considered to be one of the most beautiful beaches in New Zealand and it was absolutely gorgeous! After completing the measurement activities we went swimming which was cold but totally worth it. We then went to our third beach measurement site of Cable Bay, which was markedly different from the other two beaches with coarser sand and different dune types. We then drove onto Paihia in the Bay of Islands for another sandwich making lunch (still delicious with really good spreads) on the water. Then we had a guest lecture by someone who works at Fullers. Fullers is a tourism company that pretty much dominates tourism in the Bay of Islands. We then had a kind of scavenger hunt to see how different tourism is on the east coast than the west. We then drove by Waitangi which was preparing for the big Waitangi day which occured on Saturday (more on this later) and on to Aroha Island where we spent the night. Aroha Island is a campsite where we had to pitch our tents, and I was able to use my new sleeping mat for the first time. We had a "New Zealand" BBQ for dinner (which was pretty similar to the previous night but had steaks instead of burgers type thing). We then had a talk from the person in charge of NZ Kiwi Foundation and Queen Elizabeth II National trust. We learned that Aroha Island is a kiwi (the bird) national habitat. Apparently kiwis are not found very often in the wild and they must be protected, which is what this trust aims to do. Aroha Island has some kiwis, but they are not often spotted. We then had an award presentation from the lecturers for the week. After that, a bunch of us went off with red cellophane wrapped around our headlamps and flashlights to try to find kiwis (apparently kiwis are attracted to red light). The first attempt did not work well, but a couple hours later a few of us went and SAW TWO KIWIS!! We had just left the main road and saw two little kiwis run across the pathway. They were so little and cute!! It was very exciting.

Friday February 5
On our last day we left Aroha Island and headed for Moerewa. Moerewa was one of the towns that I talked about in my essay for the class on disadvantaged towns in Northland. The person running the He Iwi Kotahi Tatou Trust was supposed to talk to us, but he ended up having to cancel so our lecturers filled in again. We went to a cafe that the Trust runs which was really cool for me, since I had discussed the cafe in my essay! We then drove through Kerikeri to reach Whangarei Town Basin. At Whangarei we had free time to get lunch from a variety of cafes along the water and play on the playground which was fun. I had some really good mac and cheese, and saw glass blowing which was neat. We then piled back in the van and drove through Marsden Cove and Marsden Point which is an oil refinery but they are trying to develop the area around it into expensive homes, which we discussed. Then we drove onwards back to Auckland.

It was a really fun trip and I felt like I learned a lot about the places we saw, and now have a greater understanding of New Zealand! It was also really great to actually meet some New Zealanders and learn what their culture is like through them. From talking to the New Zealanders I have some more differences to add to my list (in addition to a few others that I had forgotten about) so here we go:
-they call sandals "jandals" and bathing suits "togs"
-walking around barefoot is completely normal. anywhere.
-they listen to lots of American music (especially in stores)
-the store people really try to help you NOT spend money, and will tell you if something is not good rather than just looking for a commission
-they don't tip
-when the cross light goes off, a kiwi bird sound is played (so now sometimes I echo the sound after it)
...hmm there are definitely more but I can't remember right now. Stay tuned!
-the entire relation between teachers and students in New Zealand is very relaxed (especially on this trip) and they all go by their first names.
-most New Zealanders commute to university and live at home
-the amount of time it takes a university student to graduate depends on the type of program they are in, but most graduate within 3 years. Furthermore, university students graduate at different semesters

Yesterday was Waitangi day, which was the day the Waitangi treaty was signed between the British and Maori (which I discussed in a previous blog). Some of my roommates and I went to a Waitangi festival at Okahu Bay in Auckland. They had lots of food and a free concert which was fun! We took a bus there and walked back which was nice.

Other than that, since I've returned I've been taking it easy and catching up on stuff back here. Tomorrow I have my interview for my internship at the Carlson School for kids with Cerebral Palsy which I am really looking forward too. I also have my last exam for my New Zealand culture class about sports, identity and the media in New Zealand. Then I have my geography exam next Monday and then summer term is over and it's onto the South Island. In the past couple days I booked a ton of stuff for my South Island trip and I am SO excited!!

Here are the pictures of my entire Geography Field Trip: http://picasaweb.google.com/LSOL817/GeogFieldTrip?feat=directlink

Hope all is well with you all and I would love to hear from you!