Conservation Tour to New Zealand – Water Study

Cross the International Dateline.

Meet your tour director and begin exploring!

Take a walking tour of Auckland with our Tour Director. Hear about Aotearoa’s people and their place in the Pacific, the remarkable flora and fauna found from north to south, and the conflicts that have shaped the nation.

"We do not learn from experience, we learn from reflecting on experience" - John Dewey On every evening of the program, we will set time aside to update our Reflection Journal and share thoughts and impressions that have come to the fore in the course of the day.

Travel to the Waitakere region to explore beaches, streams, and rainforests and learn of the natural water systems that operate all around us. Learn of the water cycle; the orographic system set up by landscapes of continents; the erosion, transportation and deposition cycle of rivers. Identify coastal features of high energy from the wind making waves and eroding the shore. See the coastal fringe where the rainfalls are generous with lush vegetation - here we find palm trees. Compare this environment to the Washington State coast.

At the Arataki Visitors Centre, learn how Maori people treasured water and used it as an indicator of environmental health. We take a walk in the ancient rainforest and go back 150,000,000 years to when New Zealand was part of a massive land mass. We look down on a large water reservoir providing fresh water for Auckland city.

Functions of a forest: Introduction to rainforests and their importance in storing rainfall, minimizing flooding, filtering water and maintaining stability of the catchment area. As we travel back to the city we see the vegetation change as the rainfall reduces.

Travel out to Muriwai beach to experience the energy of water, its role in supporting life and cleansing the planet. Visit Muriwai beach and the massive dunes that line the beach front and learn of how the wild winds and large waves of the southern ocean can create such huge coastal landscapes. Explore this magnificent towering cliff coastline. See and feel the power of water as the waves crash on rocks. Visit a a sea cave that has been gouged out of volcanic rock by the constant energy of water.

Stop at Bombay Hills fruit stall where volcanic ash soils grow wonderful food. Choose several fruits to take with you on the journey!

Tauranga is a harborside city in the Bay of Plenty region on New Zealand's North Island. It hosts historic buildings like the Elms Mission Station, an 1847 Georgian-style home. A bridge over the harbor connects Tauranga to Mount Maunganui, a beach town with hot saltwater pools and an extinct namesake volcano with winding walking paths. Offshore is the active volcano White Island.

When we arrive at the mountains, we will visit Karangahake gorge. Take a guided walk along river that has cut this gorge through volcanic rock through the ages. Enjoy the amazing landscape and very clean fresh water all flanked with rain forests. Compare this environment to West Virginia's. Our hike into the gorge follows the river - old gold mine workings have been transformed by nature and the rainforest to become idyllic riverside pathways for a nature experience that is pure New Zealand.

Visit Martha Hill open cast gold mine. It has a crater one mile across within the town of Waihi. Here, we will study mine processes, chemistry of extraction of gold and silver and the sequence of chemical reactions that release gold and silver from the quartz rock. Martha Hill can only operate if it satisfies 3 key criteria - that maintains water quality, dust levels and noise levels. In that way it sustains the town environment surrounding the operation and the quality of the water in the stream that flows to the ocean.

Today we will study Macro Environments, Following the Water Cycle, Forests and Rivers. The emphasis is on further upstream and the catchments. The components of a catchment - landscapes, geology, streams and forests, pastures and soils - are studied. The interrelationships between these things are examined, together with the importance of managing them in order to have a stable ecosystem.

Explore McLaren Falls Park and the lakes, canals and forests which are valuable natural resources for recreation, conservation and hydroelectric power production. We will do some water sampling to identify fresh water marine life, food webs and habitat health..

Using math and physics knowledge, determine the flow of the stream at various points and test a hypothesis on consistency of flow along the length of the stream.

Invertebrate survey captures and identifies invertebrates. The mix and populations of these species can indicate the health of the water and its oxygenation levels. This system is the most prevalent used in monitoring New Zealand streams for an indication of water quality.

To provide context for the complete tour, we will follow a river to discover the pristine natural environment and to look for patterns that we can make sense of. We travel into the rainforests at the upper catchment, take a guided walk in temperate rainforest and complete a survey of a fresh water stream to test its water quality. Visit a pristine water hole and swim in the clear fresh waters. Follow the river downstream to test water as we go and explore the sequence of habitats along the way.

Follow the Wairoa river from the hydro lake to its canal and to the Ruahihi power station and where the water re-enters the Wairoa river. See the process of renewable energy using gravity and discuss hydro as a completely clean electricity production method.

Today's themes are Recreation and Rivers and Estuaries - where the river meets the sea.

Arrive at riverside to enjoy exploring the river course in a sea kayak, 5 miles of fun drifting with the tide. View the river and its health from the seat of a kayak as we glide downstream on the Wairoa River. Get close to features of rivers that are produced by the energy of the water when in flood and when in dry season when running low.

Spend time in Waimarino Adventure Park, enjoying a variety of exciting water related activities.

Move to the adjacent estuary for an inter-tidal marine ecology session. The content covers environmental monitoring to assess the effectiveness of conservation activities to manage water catchments in wetlands and the sheltered estuary. We will be briefed on estuarine environments, the relationship between the estuary and the upstream catchment and the tidal movement from the ocean. Consider the estuary as a whole. Using aerial photographs, trace the flow of the Wairoa river as it enters the estuary and joins with the tidal salt water.

Firstly we examine a very rich biodiverse habitat that produces huge volumes of plankton through the heat of the sun. Using species classification sheets, we gather and identify marine species within the tidal estuary environment. Discuss tides and the role of the sun and tide to capture heat from the sun. Trace the flow of plankton as the tides recede and take it into the Pacific Ocean to support the complete marine food system.

Set up a transect survey to measure the deposition of sediments from the Wairoa River and how they may have changed since riverbank conservation planting has begun along its banks. This is an indicator species measure as was the stream oxygen survey.- only using a specific clam species as indicator. Cockle populations are destroyed by large sediment deposits. Students are able to gain a profile of sediment activity by completing transect surveys to ascertain shellfish (cockle) density and size.

Take a tour of Kuaka native plant restoration base, including a regenerating wetland forest and native plant propagation facilities. Learn of the wetland environment and the importance of restoring wetlands. Learn of plant propagation methods and how to do practical conservation work. Each participant pots several native flax plants that will be grown for a year and then be planted out beside a river.

This will be a morning of service to environment by restoring a natural wetland as a filter for water, a repository for sediment and a home for widely biodiverse native species. Arrive at a major conservation project where its restoration is dedicated to the WorldStrides groups who visit New Zealand so they have an opportunity to give back to the country. This is also the home of the critically endangered Maatuku, a large swamp dwelling bird - there are only 700 Matuku left on the planet! Students are led through the wetland project and learn the conservation rationale and practices used for restoration of wetland rainforest are demonstrated.

Project outcomes are three fold: (1) Wetland habitat restoration for biodiversity enhancement and improving water quality. (2) Native tree planting for carbon offsetting. (3) Engagement of WorldStrides groups so they contribute to a critically important wetland site and the health of our marine environment.

Each participant plants native flaxes and a combination of native trees in the wetland restoration area. Then we will visit last year's restored area and remove some of the vegetation from around those trees so they thrive. We will conclude with a debriefing of the environmental restoration, water monitoring and resource uses from this day.

Major physical processes have created a landscape ideal for horticulture, Kiwifruit is one of the major New Zealand success stories and is a dominant industry of this clean, green region. The soil is rich volcanic ash, spread here from eruptions and the rivers depositing it here. Ground water is clean and pure and the Kiwifruit vine has deep roots to reach this water and get all its needs from the source.

Visit Comvita, the famous producer of Manuka Honey. Manuka Honey comes from the Manuka Flower, a scarce and natural resource found only in New Zealand. The flower blooms only 2-6 weeks per year. Learn about sustainability practices that are used to ensure this extremely rare nectar is available for generations to come.

Before you see Rotorua, you'll definitely smell it: Sulfur. Consider it an introduction to a place that is completely unique. Rotorua offers a fascinating view into the earth's volcanic center. Clouds of steam seem to magically appear throughout the city from the city's four major thermal centers. One geyser erupts about 20 times a day and can spout up to 100 feet.

Today we will examine Maori Culture and Waiora! The Source of Life. We will study the stories, customs and values of indigenous cultures, language and its role in maintaining a culture. Relationships between Maori and European cultures today is experienced. Maori share their sense of kaitiaki - responsibility for the health of the environment and Waiora - how important healthy water is to a healthy planet and healthy people. Volcanism in New Zealand is mainly within the Taupo Volcanic Zone and we combine the volcanism at Rotorua with the development that came from tourists seeking the health giving spas. The soil that Kiwifruit grows so well in is the result of massive volcanic eruptions.

Learn of Kaitiakitanga - the Maori concept of intergenerational stewardship of the environment. Learn about Rotorua's volcanic history, and visit Te Puia - a Maori-owned geothermal reserve experiencing geysers, boiling mud and then see how Maori have presented their culture for tourism.

Make yourself a Maori designed craft souvenir to take home. Learn the Maori war dance - the Haka and a poi action song to bring meaning to the Maori cultural ways of teaching and learning.

We will visit a vantage point to view the Rotorua Skyline for an overview of the geography of Rotorua. While here, we will take an amazing luge adventure ride with Skyline Skyrides.

Visit Arapuni Hydro Electric Scheme and take an aerial walkway above the power station to appreciate the capture and use of potential energy to produce electrical energy.

Enter a limestone cavern that has been used for tourism for 120 years. See glow worms within the underground world created by underground streams. See how the habitat is managed with high numbers of tourists entering the caves. Stop and see the monitoring devices that measure CO2 and humidity levels inside the cave. Later in the afternoon, take a guided walk into a lesser known cave system that is reminiscent of the Forests of Lothlorien in the Lord of the Rings! Explore the erosion processes that occur on limestone rock. Discuss the science involved in maintenance of such habitats.

This afternoon we will visit a Kiwi bird hatchery. Kiwi Encounter is the home of Project Nest Egg, the endangered species program to save the Kiwi bird. Understand specific intervention practices that assist in the survival of critically endangered bird species. See also many other absolutely unique birds and an ancient lizard - genetically they are 250 million years old!

This evening we make the final entries in our Reflection Journal and share some of the most significant observations and perspectives that have taken shape in the course of our travel experience and how these may be most relevant for us all as we return home.

Board a flight home.