This Crazy Adventure

View of Wellington from the top of Mt. Victoria

It’s hard to believe that I only have one week left in Wellington and less than 5 weeks left in this wonderful country. A lot has happened since my last post. I continued settling into my new homestay, which I’m very happy at. I’ve been continuing my internship at Generation Zero in downtown Wellington. I feel like I’ve gained a greater understanding for what the organization actually does. They are trying to create a youth climate change movement throughout New Zealand and trying to get climate change on the government’s agenda. I’ve been continuing work as the solutions researcher and I’ve dived deep into researching the green economy within New Zealand and looking at New Zealand’s economy in general and compiling research with another guy in hopes of publishing a green economy detailed report on the Generation Zero website, along with a short two-page fact sheet about the basics of New Zealand’s green economy and potential room for growth. It’s been interesting to learn all about the economy, since I had little knowledge before, however at times, it was a bit tedious searching through dense reports to find specific statistics that I was looking for.

            I’ve also been working on my Independent Study Project simultaneously. I’m focusing on the potential for cycling as a mode of transport within New Zealand, and specifically looking on expanding the infrastructure within Wellington. Currently less than two percent of Wellingtonians cycle to work/school, but I’ve found evidence that this percentage can increase as I’ve looked at different global case studies, such as Copenhagen and Portland. I’ll be relieved to turn in the final paper next week after all the work I’ve put into it but it’s been a really worthwhile experience overall to explore a certain environmental topic within New Zealand in great depth.

Jumping 43m!

Post 4700 foot climb!

            Moving onto more adventurous endeavors: I’ve taken two recent weekend trips—one to Queenstown in the South Island and one to Napier, the ‘art deco capital of the world’. Queenstown was one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been in my life! My friend Piper and I went for three nights and did a rigorous hike climbing 4,700 ft in three hours to see a spectacular panoramic view of the Southern Alps (which were snowcapped) and Lake Wakatipu, I went bungee jumping off the original bungee in the world (which was both terrifying and sooo thrilling at the same time), and we took a boat tour around part of the lake one afternoon. We also explored the quaint downtown and checked out a couple happy hours and of course we had to get the world-renowned Fergburger. It was literally the best burger I’ve ever had in my life complete with avocado and delicious aioli. Overall, it was a fantastic weekend and a really nice break from city life in Wellington.         

Cheers!

            This last weekend five friends and I ventured to Napier, which is the heart of wine country in New Zealand so of course we had to do a wine tour. After a relaxing morning in the sun down on Napier’s beach, we got picked up for a complete brewery/wine tour for the afternoon. We visited an eccentric brewery and three lovely wineries. My favorite beer at the brewery was called ‘Black Duck Porter’ and my favorite wine was called ‘Fine Tawny’, which was a delicious port. Our tour guide for the tour also narrated the history of Napier, which was struck with a very large earthquake in 1931, and rebuilt itself with art deco architecture. The short weekend getaway was a really relaxing last trip with friends.

The Flotilla send off!

            Other fun activities I’ve done: went to a special fan preview of the Hobbit 2 and Peter Jackson was there complete with 30 minutes of scenes from the next movie (though I felt like the most unworthy person there since I haven’t seen the first one, but my friend won free tickets!), had a special Thanksgiving dinner potluck with my abroad group with lots of yummy food (and it didn’t hurt that the program director showed up with 10 bottles of wine J ), went on a hike above Wellington with incredible views of the city (though we almost got blown off the mountain by the wind), volunteered at a Volunteering for New Zealand collaborative Korero and heard from great keynote speakers about connecting volunteers with different organizations, went to a play called Broken River which highlighted a small New Zealand community and the effects dairy farming has had on it, and the list goes on…

Protesting Westpac!

            As my program is wrapping up, I’m realizing all of the amazing things that I have been exposed to since arriving in New Zealand. It feels like just last week that I touched down in Auckland and wandered aimlessly around the city that first day. We’ve heard from such a range of speakers: artists, architects, authors, ecologists, journalists, professors, government officials, people involved in social justice, and so many more. I’ve gotten to participate in political activism (we attended a deep sea oil flotilla send off a couple weeks ago on the Wellington harbor going to make a stand against huge oil freights doing deep sea oil exploration off the coast of the North Island, and I stood on a busy street during lunch hour in a white suit holding ‘Climate Change Crime Scene’ yellow caution tape in front of Westpac, a bank that’s funding an Australian company to come in and mine coal in the South Island). It’s hard to think about leaving this country that has come to be my home, but I cannot wait to welcome my family into the country in less than two weeks!

Dunedin and Windy Welly

At the All Blacks game!

Recreating our kindergarten play

The last week and a half have been busy busy busy. Last weekend two friends and I ventured to Dunedin for four days to explore and see the All Blacks (New Zealand’s national rugby team) play Australia—their rival. Dunedin was beautiful! While we were there, my best friend from elementary (whom we stayed with) took us down the peninsula to see seals and lots of red-billed seagulls (unfortunately we missed the albatross bird colony there cause they were in a closed area). Her parents treated us to a wonderful seafood dinner along the water the first night we were there. Highlights also included: visiting the steepest street in the world, trespassing in abandoned castles, and exploring small beach towns along the coast. Although, the ultimate heights of the trip were the rugby game and going into town afterwards. They had streets blocked off all night and they were filled wit

h fans—a crowd ranging from young college students like us to long-time old fans. It was fun to celebrate the kiwi victory and enjoy a few beers at various bars along the main drag.

The coastline in Dunedin

            I returned to reality in windy Wellington Monday night and started my seven-week long internship Tuesday morning at Generation Zero. Generation Zero is a youth-led organization that was founded with the central purpose of creating a generation-wide movement of young Kiwis working together to secure a safe and thriving zero carbon Aotearoa. I’m working as the “solutions researcher intern” and I’m working to complete different reports about the current and possible future of different climate issues such as freighting in New Zealand, 100% renewable electricity, cycling, etc. So far it’s been a really positive experience and I think it will challenge me and be an exciting learning experience. We’re also trying to organize a massive stunt downtown having to do with creating a light rail system through the city…details to come in future posts.

At the top of Mt. Victoria!

            This past weekend has been nice and relaxing for the most part. I spent my days exploring Wellington and checked out a few farmers markets, hiked up Mt. Victoria to see a beautiful view of Wellington, had an amazing homemade Indian food meal at my friends house, and did a very windy hike along the coast and saw some fur seals! I also relocated and switched homestays this weekend—my last homestay was less than ideal, and I’m now happy to be with a welcoming, very friendly family that has three kids—all teenagers. So far I’m feeling much more at home and I’m happy to be a part of their family for the remaining six weeks I have in Wellington!

Whanganui, The Heaphy Track, and Wellington!

The last two and a half weeks have been incredible. We finished off our travel section of the program in Whanganui and in downtown Wellington. In Whanganui, we were able to have a lot of free time to relax and write our first response paper of the semester. Interestingly enough, we stayed on a Quaker settlement that consisted of about fifteen homes. It was definitely a close-knit community and I loved learning about their garden, which had fruit trees, herbs, vegetables, etc. One night we had a potluck with all of the residents there and it was fun to learn about their lives and where they came from. I also went to a market on the river on Saturday morning that had a lot of fresh produce and fun, local vendors as well.

At a renewable wind farm near Whanganui

            Following Whanganui, we packed up our vans one final time and headed to Wellington—our new hometown. We stayed in a hostel right downtown and over the course of a few days I began to develop a sense of the layout of the city. I instantly loved the vibes of the city as I went on a run along the harbor within my first hour there. I saw a variety of young people, active people, came across an awesome rock-climbing gym that I intend to join, and saw some pickup rugby games at a park on the water. During our initial time in Wellington we heard from numerous influential speakers who taught us about the Treaty of Waitangi (a controversial agreement between the Maori and European settlers) and learned about the Parliamentary Commission for the Environment. My favorite part of the few days was when we got to visit parliament. We heard from members of the Green Party and got more educated on the governmental system that’s in place in New Zealand. I’m happy to call Wellington my home for the next two months and can hardly wait to further explore it.

The whole crew before our first day!

            Last Friday (October 4^th), we started our much-needed spring break. Three girls, three guys, and I set off to the northwest corner of the South Island to take on the Heaphy Track—the longest of New Zealand’s nine ‘Great Walks’ (~50 miles). We spent 5 days on the track passing through temperate forests, encountering beautiful views of surrounding mountains, hiking through moss forests, alpine grasslands, rainforests, and ending on a beautiful coastline. Unfortunately, it rained about three out of the five days we were out on the track but we were able to sleep in the huts each night and dry out our gear. We spent two days following the track in Karamea—a small coastal town in an awesome hostel that had it’s own permaculture farm. The owner of the hostel generously gave us a tour of the farm and showed us his sheep and we enjoyed a grand ‘Heaphy Feast’ that his wife and other people in the community cooked us made from ingredients grown in their garden. Part of the feast included venison (which I had never had) caught from the national park we were hiking through and it was arguably the best meat I’ve ever eaten.

Our last sunset while on the track

Rocking very necessary rain pants

Hiking through grasslands on our second day

The stellar Rongo hostel in Karamea

            Happy and refreshed we returned to Wellington on Sunday and began our homestay. It was unbelievably nice to finally unpack my bag and settle into a location for two months. My house is located just outside of downtown up on Mt. Victoria and we have the most amazing view from our living room. We were welcomed by a huge storm on Monday with gusts of wind up to 150 km per hour. It was so windy that a roof on a house actually blew off! Luckily, the remainder of the week was beautiful, sunny weather. Wellington’s a very walking-friendly city (besides the hills) and it’s been nice to walk to wherever my group meets everyday. We spent this past week in Wellington, visiting each internship site where each person in our group will be located. We also visited a couple of Wellington’s museums on the harbor and got some free time to explore downtown. Tomorrow I’m off to Dunedin (on the southeast end of the south island) to watch the All Blacks play Australia!! I’m also staying with one of my best friends from elementary school who moved to New Zealand after 5^th grade and whom I haven’t seen in almost ten years! I’m anticipating a very fun-filled long weekend and cannot to explore yet another area of New Zealand! 

Taupo, Ngati Rangi Marae, and Whakapaka Tongariro National Park

        Last Monday we arrived in the town of Taupo, which sits on the shores of Lake Taupo (which is about 60 miles around), a popular tourist destination in New Zealand. The lake primarily attracts tourists interested in recreational fishing. Where we were staying on the lake, we could look over the water to massive snow-capped mountains. On our first night in Taupo, we ventured to a series of small geo-thermal rivers and waded in them under the moonlight enjoying the natural heat of the water. Also while we were in Taupo, we spent one day and night on a farm called Awhi Farms (shown on the right) on the opposite side of the lake than the town and learned about the establishment that had been set up there. A few years ago, a small group of people inherited old land that used for industrial purposes and was dense bush, and they are currently successfully converting it to a sustaining living space. There was a series of gardens all over the property growing a variety of crops (mainly garlic, which was their favorite). The property also had a lovely compost toilet, a series of old jail cabins that were converted to guest houses, which we stayed in, an outdoor kitchen that used no electricity but had a magnificent pizza kitchen, as well as a earth house that was in the process of being built. Before and after lunch, we got to help with different projects around the farm and learn about all of the different projects that were going on. I helped concoct earth brick mix, which is made from soil and clay, concrete powder, and lime powder, and used a contraption (and all my weight) to press this mixture together to produce dense bricks that they were going to use to finish constructing a house. At night after washing our dishes with sawdust (because there was no trace of soap on the farm), we sat around the campfire under a full moon and roasted marshmallows—a perfect ending to any day spent outside.

            The following days in Taupo were used for classroom discussions and reflections on what we’ve learned so far. It’s astounding how much I feel like I’ve already learned about this country’s environmental issues. We had a big discussion on how we are going to carry the experiences that we’ve been fortunate enough to have here back to the states. The lingering questions was why did we come half way around the world to learn about New Zealand’s environmental issues when there are hundreds of issues in our backyard at home?

Ngati Rangi Marae

Mount Ruapehu

            Following our time in Taupo, we went on a retreat of sorts to Ngati Rangi Marae at the base of Mount Ruapehu for three nights. A marae is a Maori meeting house, that each group (or tribe) of Maori has. It is a common place that they come to meet and inside there are pictures of their ancestors that have passed away. We spent the next couple days learning about Maori and their intimate relationship with the earth. It was so interesting to hear how they regard the earth, and humbling to learn their perspectives and learn how much respect they have for the land. Ngati Rangi (the name of the group of Maori that we were staying with) is prominently facing issues with their rivers being diverted. The government has set up a number of diversions in each stream and river that brings the water to an underground tunnel, which then flows out to a manmade lake. We got to visit the Moawhango Dam, which creates the lake from the collected water. It was angering and sad to see the process of nature being interrupted. We had quiet time at many of the bodies of water, which Ngati Rangi considered to be their sacred sites, and often waded into different bodies of water to “greet” it. It was a really powerful experience to be with the Maori at their special sites and it made me consider what my ‘sacred’ places are at home in the States. It was really valuable to gain the Maori perspective and their outlook that “mankind should learn to manage itself around mountains, rather than expect a mountain to manage itself around us”.

Standing on top of Moawhango Dam

A few friends on a day hike

Following our spiritual time at the Marae, we piled into our vans and arrived at a Forest and Bird Lodge in Whakapapa Tongariro National Park. We were given a lot of free time, which was much needed. A group of us were interested in doing Tongariro Alpine Crossing, one of the most famous hikes in the world to emerald pools, however weather (90 km winds, which are deadly) prevented us from accomplishing it. Instead, we went on a beautiful day hike to Lake Tama, which had a striking blue shade. The national park also has a number of snow-capped mountains around it (Mount Ruapehu and Mount Doom, featured in Lord of the Rings), which were mostly immersed in clouds, however we got a few views of them. We also did a couple other smaller loop hikes in the park on our other days here and encountered powerful waterfalls and pretty rapids.

We’ve finally started hunkering down on schoolwork and have our first paper due on Sunday. I can’t believe we only have a week and a half left of our travel portion of the trip, and then we’ll be in Wellington following a week of ‘spring break’ doing a homestay and working at an internship. For break, a few friends and I are taking a ferry to the south island and hiking the Heaphy Track, the longest of the nine Great Walks in New Zealand. We’re hiking fifty or so miles in five days through beautiful, varying terrain, starting in the mountains and ending along the coast surviving on trail mix and granola. I can’t wait to continue this wonderful adventure that I’m lucky enough to be a part of. Next stop, a Quaker settlement in Whanganui.