Tena Tatou Katoa! Welcome!

Kia Ora (keyor-A)! Gidday!
   So this is a two-fold adventure... one into sustainability and ecological responsibility in New Zealand, and the second into posting things on the inter-webs. It'll be great. There is so much to share...
  This semester, I am participating in a program called EcoQuest, and am taking classes in the Ecology and Bio-geography of New Zealand, Environmental Policy, and Resource Management. For the most part, I'm situated on the North Island, about an hour southwest of Aukland City, on the Firth of Thames in a little tiny village called Whakatiwai (pronounced Fauk-a-TEA-why). There are 25 of us, and it looks like we're going from friends to family pretty quickly. The main campus is three acres right near the bay, and is covered in fruit trees, herbs, and vegetable gardens. It's early springtime, so the plum trees are flowering, there are lambs everywhere, and we're getting tastes of New Zealand summer between the cold fronts and the rain.
   We went on our first tramp (aka hike) yesterday in the Hunua mountain range. It was lovely. Kiwis (New Zealanders) seem to be much more waterproof than Americans, but they're acclimating us nicely... we forged a knee-deep stream right off the bat (the rest of the hike was like having our own private puddles to squish through... it really wasn't bad because the water warmed up). We saw tons of native plants and trees, including tree ferns that grow to be 10 m high millions of climbing vines. In the evening, after we got back and we're trying to warm up a bit, we got to go soak in a nearby geothermally heated pool... talk about a wonderful end to a day! (I thought it was particularly poignant due to the pretty major Earthquake down on the South Island. We weren't affected at all here, and so far it seems that damage is limited to things, not people. It's a reminder that New Zealand geology is pretty active.. and that we make the most of it.)
   So we'll see how good I am about keeping this updated... there's a lot to share, so it's only a matter of time and internet connections. I'll do my best!
smiles, Valerie