Whanganui with one finger

Hey everyone,
Writing on a tablet screen with one finger so this will be short and full of text errors.

Shannon, our fearless blogger is without WiFi but in order to keep out parents calm I will post that we are all well and have enjoyed the last two days in Whanganui.

We arrived Sunday morning and despite the rain spent most of the day sight seeing.  I was really lucky that my last host Allen Kirk knew Kirk Beautrais, a teacher at a local Enviroschool and arranged for me to meet him on Sunday afternoon. School is out on break next week so it was my last chance to meet  about this and I knew I would have a lot to learn from the program. (Extra bonus points for an additional vocational on a Sunday David?).

The Enviroschools program is quite like EcoSchools in Ontario, where schools incorporate sustainability lessons, ethos, and infrastructure into their school and are recognized as either gold, silver or bronze.  I don't think there is a similar program in Alberta, yet. The projects are done by the student environmental council or through a class initiative and often involve the greater community. It works on the concept that Enviro Ed brings lessons alive and is an easy and relateable way for students to learn about all kinds of topics, not just science!
I really enjoyed meeting with Keith and our discussion not just about the program but also politics, sustainability, community,  marketing, hope, despair, and the future! Quite the talk! Big take home message: environmental education has to be IN, ABOUT and FOR the environment.

Today we all had vocational visits in the morning (I shadowed Sharon Duff at the Primary Health organisation and met with people about energy efficiency home programs and a heritage apple tree give away program). After lunch we went to the Ratana Marae and learned about the prophet Ratana and Maori Christianity.

Evening activity: our host and club president Kate Smith took Laura and I to her Scottish country dancing class! So much fun! My new mission in life is to have a Ceilidh barn dance back home!

Good night and happy earth day!

From Mountain Top to Sandy Beach

We got off to a relaxing start Thursday morning and headed off to the top of one of the active volcanoes.  At this point, I should also probably mention that the earthquake we felt the other day was not an earthquake at all but was a result of the Singapore army doing training at a nearby military base.  Nevertheless, I'm considering it an earthquake experience since it apparently felt the exact same as one.

We took two chair lifts up to the top of the volcano, which was surprisingly cold.  We were dressed in multiple layers, and still the windchill could have rivalled any winter ski day in Canada - okay, maybe not quite that bad, but it was pretty cold.  At the top, we were rewarded with a warm cup of tea and a snack.  Then, we walked most of the way back down and stopped in another cafe for lunch.  After a quick "tramp" in the forest, it was off again to our next location.

We were invited to visit a local market gardener, which is kind of a misnomer as the very large operation supplies carrots and potatoes to both New Zealand and Japan.  After a warm welcome of tea and home baked carrot muffins, of course, we were toured around the facility to see how the carrots were sorted, washed, and packaged.  I will never look at a plastic bag of carrots in the same way again. At the end, I asked one of the owners if it is actually necessary to wash carrots when we take them out of the bag because they had been so thoroughly washed before being packaged, but he said that it was since many producers use chlorine in the washing process.  Now I know what is giving my carrots that chemically taste, which none of his carrots had.

Then Nathalie and Laura were off to a rotary dairy barn and Mary and I were back to our host families to prepare for the evening potluck and presentation.  As I'm typing this, I am realizing how much we actually ate that day!  The meal was filled with good company and conversation, and the presentation went well with a good discussion afterwards.  Thanks, Ohakune Rotary club!

Friday morning, we were off again to meet the Waverly club in Wanganui.  Nathalie set off ahead of us to meet up with a representative from the Whanganui River Trust to learn about how the local Iwi is working with local government to protect the river.  The Whanganui river has been given rights as a person (the same as a corporation would) so decisions can be made for what is best for the river itself, not just for the people.  Nathalie reports that she really enjoyed learning more about the river and the local Iwi's connection to it, they literally are one with the river.

I think it's safe to say that I have drunk more tea in the past three weeks then I have in the past three years!  Mind you, I'm not usually much of a tea drinker, so that's probably not saying much...

Then we were off again to the countryside outside of Waverly to our farm stay for the weekend.  We were greeted with lunch with the local Rotary club, and then enjoyed a relaxing afternoon including a quick trip to the beach with black sand and a local glass maker before coming home to prepare for another Rotary meeting and presentation.

Today, we were supposed to go on a rip-roaring jet boat ride, but unfortunately, we were rained out.  However, we enjoyed spending the morning sleeping in, catching up with journals, and reading.  We are now sitting around catching up on emails and the news before having a relaxing lunch with our host family at the farm stay.  The sun seems to be peaking out from behind the clouds, so who knows what the afternoon holds...

A Change of Plans...

We left bright and early this morning for Ohakune and arrived at 9 a.m. to meet two local Rotarians.  We thought we were going to be going on a hike, but instead, we were separated into two groups and whisked off for our vocational visits.  Nathalie and Laura got to participate in a field day for local farmers, and Mary and I were lucky enough to visit a local Marae (Maori meeting place), but first we had to change into skirts, as per the traditional protocol.

When we arrived at the Marae, we had to wait to be welcomed onto the Marae grounds with a song by one of the women.  Then we shook hands and hongied (can you put hongi in past tense?) with each of the 26 school children before entering the Marae building.  The women have to enter before the men (there was only one man) and sit behind them.  Apparently, this is for protection.  Then the school children welcomed us with traditional singing and dancing.  They were then sent back to class, and we were lucky enough to spend a considerable amount of time with Korty, the teacher/principal.  She explained many traditions to us as well as the importance of having a Maori immersion program.  The school has 26 students between grades 0 and 8 with two full-time teachers and one full-time Maori resource teacher.  All positions are funded by the government, and the school is very nice, especially for its size.  We then went to one of the classrooms where the very cute students performed two more songs and dances, and we gave them Canada pencils as a thank you.  Oh, and Mary and I had to sing two songs as well.  We sang "Land of the Silver Birch" and "This Land is Our Land" neither of which could hold a candle to the songs the kids sang.

Then, we spent some time with the head of the local Iwi Trust.  An iwi is a Maori tribe.  This iwi has recently received funds from a treaty settlement and is looking at sustainable, economic, and environmentally responsible ways to invest/spend the money to better the community.  It was very interesting information.

Finally, we visited a local builder, which was related to Mary's vocation. Oh, and we had a quick lunch in there as well. Then, we travelled to the top of Mount Ruahepu, but it was in the clouds today, so we were not able to see anything.  Many people come here to ski in the winter time, and the town of Ohakune reminded us of Jasper.

About Nathalie and Laura's Vocational Visit:

New Zealand Beef and Lamb organized a field day for local farmers to come together to discuss some issues, particularly due to the summers drought. There were speakers on fertilizer use and environmental farm planning of which there are many options including the Whole Farm Plan, the Sustainable Land use Initiative and the Beef and Lamb Environmental Farm plan.  It was very exciting for us when the fertilizer speaker had a slide on the Canada Experimental Lakes program and there findings on phosphorous in the water.  Nathalie was sad to tell the man that this internationally well known scientific program has been cancelled by the Harper government due to funding....
As part of the field day we all (about 30 local landowners, agency folk and two Canadian girls) jumped on quads and toured around the farm to view some of the land management work being done.  After being thoroughly soaked (if you want it to rain plan a field day!) we took part in three workshops; sheep autopsies, fertilizer application, and feed for cattle and sheep. We have learned so much about agriculture in NZ and were so lucky to be able to take part in this on-the-ground training with the locals!  And note to our Alberta friends, at the end of the day everyone was invited to stay for a BBQ and beer.  A winning recipe for a field day if you ask us!


Lastly, it was back to our new host family's houses for "tea" (dinner).  The big news of the day is that we felt our first earthquake.  While we were sitting in the living room waiting for Mary's host to pick her up, we felt four tremors and a low rumbling.  There was some dispute as to whether or not it was an earthquake or rumblings from the still active Mount Ruahepu, which apparently erupted as recently as 1995!  I'm saying it was an earthquake...

Memorable Marton

The team has spent the last two days in Martin, and we've done so much, I can't believe we only arrived yesterday!  On Monday, we spent a lot of time travelling between Taupo, Marton, and Palmerston North.  We went to a lunchtime Rotary meeting in Palmerston North and gave a presentation, and then we went to a dinner meeting in Marton and gave another presentation.  The presentations seem to be going well, and both groups had very interesting questions to ask us.

Today, Nathalie and Laura got up very early for a 7 a.m. vocational breakfast, and then we all met up to go to the armed forces base.  We were toured around by a pilot trainee, Ed, and got to sit in several helicopters, both new and old.  The new ones are currently going through trial and development and are worth about $90 million each.  We were also lucky enough to get a tour by Brendan Deere of his private hanger on the base where he keeps his WWII spitfire and another plane from that era called the Avenger.  The Avenger was the first plane to be flown after the bombing of Pearl Harbour, which is where the name comes from.  Brendan used to be a teacher, and then started his own business.  He now buys,  restores, and maintains these old air crafts as a "hobby".

The Spitfire

Captain Nathalie

Checking out the helicopters

After the base, the whole gang went back to my host family's house for lunch (thanks, Bob and Judy).

A warm welcome at lunch

Next we head out to the Hunterville Waste Water Treatment ponds.  The constructed wetland oxidation ponds are the innovative way Hunterville (pop. 500) is treating their waste water. The soils in the ponds and the roots of the plants are actually able to remove most of the nutrients and heavy metals in the water.  A UV filter finishes the process before the water is released into the nearby creek, cleaner then the water in the creek! 

Oxidation Ponds

Sewage water after flowing through the ponds

Next, it was over to Nathalie's host family's house to learn how David and Maureen are raising sheep for genetics, helping with research related to livestock diseases and parasites, and earning carbon credits for the trees on their land.  We were also treated with a tour of their amazingly scenic farm with gorgeous views.

Then about 30 Rotarians descended on the house for another amazing pot luck   The Marton group has been amazingly warm and welcoming, and we are sad to go after only two short days.  But, it's up again soon for an early 7 a.m. start tomorrow as we are off to our next location.  The adventure
continues...

Fun Pot luck Dinner at the Smith's

More Time Out

So yesterday, we went from the cafe to a pub for afternoon tea where we came up with a master plan for our final presentation.  Nathalie and I rented bikes along the way, and set out after our meal to try to work off some of the calories that we've packed on over the past two weeks.  We then spent a quiet evening at home reading, chatting, and playing cribbage.

Our delicious supper

Competitive cribbage at its finest

This morning we had another nice lay in followed by French toast and eggs since Mary brought along some maple syrup with her.  Mary then headed off to church where she had to rescue the woman beside her from a fainting spell, Laura stayed home for some much needed "me time", and Nathalie and I headed off on the bikes again.

We decided to ride up to Huka Falls, which is 5km from the base of the mountain.  We didn't think it would take that long, but we forgot to factor in all the hills.  On the way to the falls, we thought we were learning the lesson, "What goes down must go up," but instead, we ended up learning that the laws of physics CAN be defied since we seemed to bike up hill and the way there AND up hill on the way back.  Luckily, we made it back to our meeting point just in time to meet Mary and Laura.

Nathalie headed off on her bike for a lazy afternoon on the beach while Mary, Laura, and I headed off to DeBretts Mineral Spa for a soak and fassages (facials and massages).  We then picked up Nathalie again and headed out for lunch at an outdoor French Cafe.  We are now sitting in the sun, enjoying more of the "fall sun".  Nathalie is sitting on the ground beside the table doing yoga stretches after a long day of biking, and the rest of us are sitting beside her pretending that we don't know the crazy girl who just happened to plunk down beside us.

Taking it easy in Taupo

Yesterday, we met up with our wonderful hosts, Mitchell and Lyal, in Foxton at the very large Dutch windmill.  We all packed up and headed off to Palmerston North, where we picked up a friend of Laura's from Alberta who is studying at Massey University.  We then met up with a few other Rotarians, one of whom works for the Department of Conservation, and headed up the Manawatu Gorge to view a very large slip that occurred two years ago and shut down one of the major thorough fairs for eighteen months.  The hike up was 2.2 km, which meant a 2.2 km hike back down.  Our guide, Faye, very generously provided us with delicious skroggin (traillmix) for the hike up and "rewarded" us with bananas and oranges when we finally reached the top.

Our intrepid hikers

We learned about local flora and fauna as well as how the Department provides a wide range of services including maintenance of the natural areas and education.  We also learned that Manawatu means "place where my heart stood still".  The story is that long ago, members of one tribe came and kidnapped the daughter of the chief and took her back to their tribe.  As the chief was chasing them, he came around the bend and saw that the river in the gorge was high, and he was not able to cross.  This was when his heart stood still because he knew that she was gone forever, and that he would never see her again.  What is interesting is that when the story is told from the point of view of the other tribe, it is a love story with a happy ending.

Just as we reached the parking lot, it started to rain, so we dashed off to Beyond the Bridge Cafe, which was an amazingly cute old farmhouse with a clay oven roaring just outside the front door, filling the room with the faint aroma of campfire and home baked goodness.

At the cafe, enjoying Mitch's excellent hat collection

Next, we drove through a massive wind farm (passing a dead hedgehog along the way).  Mitchell is the head of the volunteer fire department for several towns, and at this point, Nathalie found the microphone for the overhead speaker on the car.  Her cow imitations were so good, that we soon had a heard of cows following the car down the hill looking for their long lost mother.

Huge turbine

We pulled into Taupo around 9:00 p.m. and promptly set about hunting down a dinner of fish and chips (which apparently is the traditional thing to do on a GSE trip).  Unfortunately, everything was closed, and we ended up getting fish sticks off the kids menu of an Indian restaurant that was 5 minutes away from closing.

Everyone was relieved to get back to the "bach" where we are lucky enough to stay for the weekend.  We each have our own room, and the kitchen opens up onto a wonderful kitchen and living room, complete with a window seat and French doors onto the patio.

This morning, we really enjoyed a leisurely morning sleeping in, reading, doing some laundry, and cooking for ourselves.  After taking it easy, we finally got ourselves sorted enough to head into town for a bit of GSE (Group Shopping Experience).  We are now fully enjoying ourselves in a beautiful cafe with lattes in hand, doors open, Italian music playing, and bare arms soaking up the last of the summer sun.

GSE: Group Study Exchange?

Hey All,

Our dinner and presentation at the Rotary Kapiti Cluster meeting last night was hosted at the Southward Car Museum. We had a chance to look around the museum before we met. The collection was amassed  by one man, and it now consists of 350 cars, 150 motorcycles, and 3 airplanes.  We took pictures mostly for our brothers and fathers. One of our very clever hosts, Grant, has decided that (in our case) GSE does not stand for Group Study Exchange, but either Group Shopping Experience or Girls Supporting the Economy.  That's a good thing for those of you expecting presents upon our return!

 "GSE: Group Shopping Experience" -Grant

We started off this morning by visiting the Clean Technology Centre, which assists clean energy businesses in getting up and running and becoming profitable.  It was interesting to see what they are doing, and we were able to share information about Edmonton's waste management centre, which will be responsible for diverting 90% of Edmonton's waste from the landfill by 2015.

Then, it was off to Nga Manu nature reserve for an interpretive talk, walk, and picnic lunch.

Kiwi's lay eggs that are 18% their body mass!

Tuatara - a reptile somewhere between and dinosaur and a lizard

Eels! 

Finally, it was time for the most anticipated event of the day - quading!  Although I started off as the scaredy cat of the group, it only took one lap around the training course before I was ready to charge full steam ahead.  We went one a one hour guided ride through bushes, rivers, and several hills and valleys.  It was great fun, and the only thing I could say when we finished was, "Can we do that again?"  The nicest part was that after we had changed out of our wet gear, there was tea and scones with jam and whipped cream waiting for us!  I'm not sure if they do that for all the bikers or just the more refined ones...

All set and ready to go!

These girls can 4x4! 

Catching Up

The last two days have been busy as usual (and I've had no internet access).  On Wednesday morning (that's Tuesday for those of you east of the date line), we got up early to drive to Mount Bruce where we saw our first kiwi bird in another beautiful bird sanctuary.  The kiwis have been nurtured back from the brink of extinction to live peaceful lives in this protected, yet natural, environment.  The kiwi we saw was white instead of brown because both of her parents had the recessive gene for it.  It wasn't an albino, it was just white.  These birds are flightless, and when they run, they kind of look like a chicken with it's "arms" cut off.  They are nocturnal, and apparently, they mate for life.  The males are also the ones who incubate the eggs - a pretty highly evolved species, if you ask me.

Kiwi bird in its nocturnal home.

Next, it was off to the Tui brewery.  Tui is New Zealand's most famous beer, and they have become very well known for their "Yeah, right." ad campaigns.  As in, "It's too cold for a beer.  Yeah right." or "This is a business expense.  Yeah right." After a tour of the brewery and a turn at creating our own "yeah, right" slogans, we had lunch in the brewery restaurant with our new host families.  As an aside, two days after our visit, the brewery was hosting its second ever "drought shout".  This is an event for local farmers after a long summer of drought - there were more than 3,000 farmers registered to attend.

After driving for about 1.5 hours, we arrived in Otaki to tour a traditional Maori church and learn about it's history from the parish's pastor.  It was very interesting, and we learned a lot.  What was most interesting was how the community came together after the church had been burned down to recreate an exact replica of the original church, including building the structure around three enormous tree trunks, which functioned as the internal supports for the church.

That night, we met with all our host families at club president Carol's house for anther great potluck meal.  Then, it was off to our host family's houses and straight into bed.

Yesterday, we spent the whole day doing vocational visits. (see below). Our dinner and presentation at the Rotary Kapiti Cluster meeting was hosted at the Southward Car Museum. There were "only" 70 members at this meeting.  Members had great questions for us afterwards, and it was a pleasure to do more sharing and comparing of cultures.  We had a chance to look around the museum before we met. We took pictures mostly for our brothers and fathers.

For my vocational visits, I had the pleasure of meeting with a very dedicated instructor/program manager in the local Learning Centre, who told me about their Youth Guarantee programs and how they do goal setting and career pathway planning - very interesting.  Then, I had the privilege of spending the afternoon with the principal of the local Maori immersion school.  It was a great pleasure, and I was able to learn a lot about what they did to help Maori students become successful in the school.  There are a lot of things that Canadians can learn from how New Zealand has embraced indigenous culture and language.

Nathalie and Laura had the pleasure of spending the morning with the Friends of the Otaki River which is a group that is working hard doing riparian plantings along their beautiful river. They had a lot of fun helping with weeding and repotting. In the afternoon they met with Dr. Mike Joy, a professor at the nearby Massey University. He explained all about the pressures New Zealand's waterways are under and some of the solutions they are exploring to help address them.

Nathalie helping transplant some native tree saplings for the restoration. 

Laura helping group leader Margret remove stakes from maturing trees. 

That's all for now, we are off 4 x 4ing this afternoon!