Zealandia: Debbie's first post

[Posted by Jason on behalf of Debbie]

I'm not really sure what I was expecting to experience my first few days in New Zealand. To be honest, I had no preconceived idea of the place or the people other than the beautiful landscape I had observed from the pictures in the course packet. Two days in we had seen many things in Wellington but still, no real connection. Then "bang" we went to Zealandia. Zealandia is an incredibly ambitious project that seeks to re-introduce indigenous species of flora and fauna while removing introduced species. I was immediately taken by the scope of this project and the commitment and vision required to imagine and implement such an immense task. Walking through the refuge I finally felt that I had arrived in New Zealand. The lush vegetation, the mountainous terrain, and the striking wildlife were what I had envisioned. Sometimes it felt a little overwhelming when trying to catalogue and experience each type of bird, each giant fern. I found myself imagining what it must have been like for the first colonists when they arrived on New Zealand's shore. Some of the species of plants were so large they seemed fake, and this trend continued as we made our way back down the hill to the botanical gardens.

I was not looking forward to climbing another hill to observe the gardens, and although many of the flowers were pretty and the park beautifully manicured, it wasn't until we reached this ridiculous ridge and valley overflowing with every imaginable hydranga that I was really blown away. The amazing colors and the sheer size of the heads really was incredible and totally worth the climb. My entire class stood on the ridge and peered into a valley covered from end to end with blooming hydrangas. Pink, blue, purple, white, and fuschia blossoms filled the valley. I have never seen anything like it. It was an ocean of flowers. As exhaustion set in, we made our way down the hill again. I had to wonder, just how many times did we climb that hill today? I wonder if the first colonists asked the same question. From all our readings is seems that the terrain of New Zealand was definitely an obstacle. Nevertheless, the striking beauty of the land is worth the sore feet. I am looking forward to traveling to the even more rural Rotorua and seeing how it compares to Wellington. I'm sure to see more giant ferns like this one. I wanted to sit in it and have my picture taken, Jason advised against it!