Grassy Knees and Licking Trees

This morning began with a relaxing stroll through the Riccarton Farmer's Market. Pies, sweets, breads, and cheese were the main fare along with fresh fruits and veggies. A violinist raising money to record with a band, a high-school trumpet player fundraising a band trip to America, and a man playing the harmonica near the entrance serenaded us as while walked among the tents. 

Maddie and her donut-thing

Maddie and Eliza enjoying the morning

Soon, we were all gathered around this bench watching the ducks swim past with our various purchases. Jámm finally got his baguette, Cole got some good cheese, and I got a beeswax candle. There we were, minding our own business, when suddenly... 

He was not enjoying the market

this guy shows up uninvited. Shaking his tail, bobbing his neck aggressively, and hissing at our baguettes and cheese, we fled the scene just in time for tea. On the way to Darfield Bakery, we had a lively debate about Devin's so-claimed "lack" of a belly button (he has one). At the bakery, we could get a drink AND a snack, a luxury much appreciated since Lincoln's breakfast start-time and our depart-time were relatively close together this morning.

(There were open seats)

After that, we completed our drive to Trevor and Heather Taege's farm. Trevor is one of the first farmers to begin planting natives on his land. The blocks are spread across the farm between sheep and cow paddocks. We walked through them and assisted Trevor with pulling dead natives that didn't survive the season and trimming some of the trees and bushes in the way of the path. In a deal with the local city council, Trevor provided the land needed to plant this native bush and bought even more plants to put in after fencing in the blocks himself and saving some of the money he got for the project.

Broadleaf, Matai, Pokaka, Totora, Black Beech, Coprosma, Kohuhu, Kanuka, Golden Akeake, Fuschia, Kowhai, Whauwhaupaku, Kahikatea and some BIG New Zealand Flax were some of the plants growing here.

A Jámm for size reference

We were also delighted by the presence of Trevor's lovely sheepdog. 

This is Pete

Eliza may be a little less enthused than the others.

"Did this all come from Pete?!"

Maddie and Emily also shared an intimate Hongi before we broke for lunch. 

"I am in your bubble"

After that, Trevor told us more about the animals he keeps on the farm. Currently, there are about 170 sheep and 75 cattle, but with the birth of lambs and the change in seasons, those numbers bump up to 500 and 100, respectively. He also selectively breeds the ewes to give birth at a certain time to ensure that the lambs have enough grass to eat around the farm. Then we got a demonstration of herding by Pete, who is a heading sheepdog.

Pete, being the best boy

They seem a little nervous... 

After that, we went inside to watch Trevor shear a sheep. If you have never seen the process, I have a video of that for you as well! Little did we know that we were spending the day with a champion sheep shearer, his record is 350 sheep in 8 hours!!

Just look at that wall!

After shearing, the wool gets sorted into the good fleece, the belly wool, the head and neck wool, and the miscellaneous bits and pieces. From then on it is shipped off to be processed and sold.

From left to right: belly, bits, and neck

The good fleece

We then toured one last part of the native bush before playing some cricket. 

"Can I ring the bell??"

Little did we know that the Tuatara's crushing defeat against the Hungry Keas was attracting an audience.

The curious cows watch on...

They were obviously Tuatara fans

Our last stop for today was the Lords Bush Scenic Trail, where we licked honeydew from Black Beech trees. A scale insect eats the sap of the black beech but can't process it, so excretes it. This excretion is what bees take to make honey and what we ended up licking. 

All of these pretty little beads are sweet little bug poops

And, to close, a collection of us licking trees:

1 lick

2 licks

3 licks

4,

normal

honey's

such

a

bore!

Thank you Scale Insects of the world!

-paige

Fun in Kaikoura

Upon saying farewell to the Marae, we dropped off seven of our most avid wildlife observers for their anticipated whale-watching experience. Three miles off-shore, they were greeted by dozens of cheeky Dusky Dolphins and four Sperm Whales.

Sperm Whale saying hello!

Dusky Dolphins 

So cheeky

"Wow!" - Eliza

The group also saw a variety of marine birds on the water, including different petrels, mollyhawks, and albatrosses.

Giant Petrel snapped in-flight by Devin

Meanwhile, the remaining half of our group visited nearby tide pools, a new addition to the city, on our way to a protected Hutton’s Shearwater nesting site to learn about their conservation. New Zealand endured a devastating 7.8 earthquake in 2016 that left behind an elevated seafloor that is now home to a diverse community of sea stars, anemones, and shelled creatures and visible at low tide.

New Zealand Fur Seal enjoying the view

Mottled Brittle Star doing what Mottled Brittle Stars do

After many slips, photo ops, and close-up seal encounters, we made our way up the hill towards the Shearwater reserve and learned about the project along the way. The seafaring birds are native to New Zealand and nest in only two colonies in the mountains near Kaikoura. In 2005, the Department of Conservation established a third site on the Kaikoura Peninsula where their nesting burrows wouldn’t be trampled by deer or their young eaten by stoats and rats. The new site of artificial burrows is surrounded by a predator-proof fence and the birds raised in the colony are already returning and having chicks of their own.

Learn more about Shearwater Conservation

From the hilltop, we saw our own share of Dusky Dolphins playing in the water and hundreds of New Zealand Fur Seals lining the coast.

After our two groups reconvened, Dr. Hostetler treated us to a tasty whitebait fritter – a local delicacy of small fish fried in egg batter – before hitting the road back to Lincoln.

It's almost as tasty as it looks

g2g

Cole

On To Kaikoura

After a somewhat restful sleep in the railway Waipara Sleeper Cars (a bit cold), we woke to homemade bread, roosters crowing, and cats purring (had to be there). Aftr breakfast, we loaded up our stuff in the Gatorwaka and headed to Kaikoura (Place of Crayfish).

At the Sleepers

Kaikooura was hit with a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in November of 2016 (see http://www.geonet.org.nz). This earthquake destroyed the roads and railroads to and from Kaikora, isolating the town. Residents and tourists had to be airlifted to Christchurch. It devastated this small, tourist town where folks from all over come to watch whales and enjoy this seaside town. It is still recovering from this earthquake but the town has shown resilience and as you will learn, we encountered roads still under repair in and around KaiKoura, but the city looks to be thriving.

Nice reflections

One purpose of our trip was to learn more about the Maori culture and to actually sleep in a marae (a meeting house) called Takahanga in Kaikoura. First we had to get there . . . . . so after driving a bit, we stopped in Cheviot for a much needed tea break. From Cheviot, we continued over some small foothills to the Kaikoura range and dropped into the seaside town.

We had lunch on the beach and then went north to take a hike at Ohau point. We discovered that there was a lot of construction on the road and we could not access the trail (unfortunately). We continued on to another beach, where we looked for smooth, limestone rocks. It was a sunny day and the ride was beautiful along the Kaikoura range where the mountains meet the sea.

looking for rocks!

On the way back, the students practice their waiata (song) that they would sing as part of the powhiri (or welcoming ceremony, see https://www.waikato.ac.nz/tekowhao/guidelines-for-powhiri). They chose Tom Petty’s song “I Won’t Back Down.” The whole idea (traditionally) was to assess whether visitors were friend or foe. Nowadays, it is performed to welcome visitors onto a marae and is done for political and community functions that occur in the marae. 

As manhuri (guests), we waited in the back of the marae, outside the grounds. We were called into the marae by an elder singing and we filed into the marae and sat opposite the iwi of that marae. A maori leader stood up and welcomed us and our ancestors, and then they sung a song. I stood up and introduced our group and then we stood up and sang the Tom Petty song (quite well I might add). We then presented a koha (gift), which consisted of jelly bellies (and later an artistic print of old Florida oranges), and then we did a hongi – or the pressing of noses. Each of us, in turn, pressed our noses up to our guests and for a brief moment, occupied their bubble and even took a small sniff to take in their essence. It is a beautiful ceremony and it ended with us eating with them (cookies and tea), afterwards, we were welcomed as family. We were provided mattresses and set up our beds in the actual marae that contained many beautiful carvings that told stories about their ancestors and the lands around them (we could not take pictures of these as they are sacred).

evening from the marae

We went out and had Thai for dinner (yum!) and then headed back to the marae. Caterpillar races ensued (imagine in sleeping bags and racing) and other games and chatting continued until one by one, we all went to sleep. I have to say (I am not sure if the other students experience this) but I rest really well in the marae and have vivd dreams. 

Thai food!

Tomorrow, some of the students will go whale watching and the others will take a walk on Kaikoura Spit and learn about Hutton’s Shearwater conservation. More tomorrow.  nighty night Dr. H

I Got 15 Animals (They’re All Named Bob) – Wednesday, July 25

Our day started off with a trip to Pegasus, a green development including native plants and a good use of water drainage. There, we visited Pegasus Beach and were entertained for ten minutes following the lines of a stick pulled by Eliza. Well, some of us were. If that wasn’t exciting enough, the rest of us were exhilarated by yet another group photo!!! (Not pictured)

The eel didn't look this blurry in real life

Our next stop was the Pegasus Bay winery, where we walked a trail that was part of the Greening of Waipara project. The natives there were planted in 2008 and have grown a lot since then. But native plants weren’t the only things we saw; we also were able to coax native eels from the depths of a shallow pond using salami!

Cat!

Cat does not enjoy being held

Sleeper cars

We had lunch at the winery (eels were not on the menu), then continued our way up the road after stopping briefly to unload at the Waipara sleeper cars. We met Daryl, a local farmer who talked to us more about the Greening of Waipara project. This project is meant for education, bringing back native birds, and attracting insects that help control pests.

A talk from Daryl

Bear demonstrates his sheep herding skills

The one and only... Bob (the huge sheep with his tongue out)

After his talk, we drove a little ways up the road and Daryl unleashed his sheep dogs, Sis and Bear, from the trunk of his car. The dogs herded Daryl’s sheep into a smaller paddock, where we enjoyed petting Bob (his daughter’s gigantic pet sheep) and learning about some of the different types of sheep.

The wine tasting group

The card playing group

The grand trophy for the 2018 lip sync contest

After that we went to another winery, Waipara Hills, to taste and learn about wine making. There, I made the grand prize for the lip sync; a microphone-ish thing made from only the finest ingredients (cardboard, chocolate wrappers, and lots of sparkly duct tape).

Coco thinks it's been a long day

Then it was off to Daryl’s house for dinner and the long-awaited (and dreaded) lip sync contest! But first, there was plenty of time to cuddle with his adorable pets, play cards, and eat a delicious dinner and Pavlova (courtesy of Daryl and Allison). And play a game of mafia.

But finally, it was time for the lip sync contest. According to the judges, the bar was raised with everyone’s performance. Even Jámm improved from his previous wordless lip syncs and one-word songs by actually lip-syncing nine words (and in his encore performance, more than five verses!). It was a close decision from the judges, but first place for bragging rights and the microphone went to Devin. Corinne was a very close second, and I got third place.

After all of the excitement and dancing, we crashed at the Waipara Sleeper Cars. Despite the lack of heat amongst other things, it was very cool to sleep in old train cars and cabins. Most of us slept pretty well, but some unnamed people snoring (*cough cough*) kept some of us up.

Cheers,

Tupelo