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Our Journey Ends by Francesca

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                                                                      Our Journey Ends Group Photo outside of the Lincoln University Library                                    And so our journey in New Zealand comes to an end … or does it? Throughout this past month, we have all learned and grown so much. As Dr. Griffiths and Susan warned us back in December, we will not be coming back home the same person we were when we left. Of course, we are returning a little tanner (or sunburned for some) and a lot of us with tattoos or piercings, but it’s not just a physical change. Not only have we learned more about agriculture and sustainability but we have also learned so much about ourselves. Each farmer left us with life lessons and messages that really resonated with us. One of the farmers, Scott McFadden, who we even recommended write a book to house all his inspirational messages, reminded us to “make each day a good day, have a good laugh because you gotta keep yourself going.” And tha
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Our Farewell Dinner by Zarina

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    How do you end a month of learning, exploration, personal growth, and fun? Our time in New Zealand ended with a beautiful dinner and wine tasting at the Rossendale Vineyards owned by Brent and Shirley Rawstron. We began the night walking through the vineyard with Mr. Rawstron who explained the process of growing grapes and how his vineyard has grown over the years.   We moved on to a wine tasting where we tried six of the wines made from grapes grown in the vineyards. Each wine had its own specific taste in which you could taste the time and effort that went into each type.  The group’s bonds that were made over the past month were exemplified as we all laughed and talked between each tasting, remembering what we had done and learned about ourselves and each other. Before the dinner, our professors had given us the option to invite some of the farmers and people we had met on the trip who had been influential to us. While some of those we invited couldn’t make it due to trav
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Grapes by Dan

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  Grapes .   Grapes. The word crosses my ears (so far twice on your screen) and what I really want to hear is wine. I know I am not the only one as well. New Zealand’s wine tourism is a booming industry, with vineyards extending 700 miles all across both islands. As a tourist, you don't cross oceans and the southern alps to try grapes, you come for a refreshing and fruity Malborough Sauvignon blanc or cherry red Pinot Noirs in the Otago region. Yet wine doesn’t magically materialize in your glass on lad ies night, it's cultivated from grapes by talented winemakers.             We learned the efforts required to cultivate grapes on our final farm visit. Rossendale vineyards are owned and operated by a lovely couple, Brent and Shirley Rawstro n . We strolled through two of the seemingly endless rows of small green bulbs, barely resembling the Pinot Noir grapes they would ripen to be. These little green marbles would have to wait another two months before Brent would drive his
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How We've Changed by Ben

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The Fellowship of the University T his one was a tough one to write. You don’t experience change until it has already happened. Sometimes it’s something you never fully grasp. Well, let’s see if I can capture how this motley crew of 36 has changed. Our world view definitely has changed. Even before we “laid down and looked up”, there was already a change in our perspectives. We experienced comradery and friendliness like never before within the New Zealand airports. The culture shock led us to compare and say “Well in America…” lauding our home. I know we will experience a new culture shock when we return and will laude New Zealand’s culture. There is a newfound respect for this archipelago nation and their way of life will permeate back in the states. The friendliness and culture of New Zealand has definitely made us all more laid back and friendly with each other. I want to highlight us being more friendly with each other. I think we have changed and became more welcoming to others a
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A Walk in Kaikōura by Jess

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    Our arrival into Kaikōura was greeted with an abundance of fur seals along the waterway. The seals were a quintessential example of the beauty of Kaikōura and the rich natural life the town was bursting with at the seams. The students on our trip would watch in amazement as the fur seals basked on the rugged rocks along the shoreline. During our free day, most of the groups decided to explore the wildlife a bit more. After a last-minute cancellation of my group’s sea kayaking excursion due to weather conditions, we decided to do the renowned Peninsula Walkway Hike. I didn’t know it at the time, but I would come to realize that this decision was one of the best I’ve made on the trip yet.   The beginning : The hike began with a walk along the rocky shore. As we trudged along, we watched the waves crash along the beach and wash away through the rocks in an undulating motion. After just a few minutes into the hike, we found a Portuguese Man O’ War jellyfish below our feet! We rev
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Breeding Horses at Nevele R Stud by Athena

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Nevele R Stud is a standard-bred horse breeding farm in Canterbury, New Zealand, and has been home to multiple champion stallions since its founding. They exclusively use artificial insemination, which begins with collecting semen from the stallion. This involves the stallion mounting the phantom (which is also known in the U.S. as a “dummy”) and an artificial vagina being placed over his penis by Stud Manager Anna Murphy until he ejaculates. A tease mare (a female horse in heat) may also be present in the room to help start the process. All personnel in the collection room have to wear protective clothing as the collection process can become dangerous if they aren’t careful and prepared.   After they collect the semen, they examine it under a microscope for the quantity and motility of the sperm. One collection from a fertile stallion can be used to inseminate 28-30 mares, while a collection from a sub-fertile stallion can be used to inseminate 6-8 mares. Once the semen is collected,
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From Sport to Pest - The Challenge of Introduced Species by Carter

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                                                                An invasive species: the stoat In the beginning of European settlement in New Zealand in the 19 th century, settlers brought an array of mammals for agricultural purposes as well as sport and food. In doing so, many of these species brought from overseas have brought drastic issues upon the native fauna here in New Zealand. Agricultural animals such as cattle and pigs have been managed for quite some time by farmers. Their domestication has limited many of their damaging impacts. Some of the wild species of rabbits, possums, stoats/ferrets, and deer have left native plant and animal populations in a muddle. Rabbits have been a huge ecological challenge for over a century. They were originally introduced for sport and food, but quickly resulted in damage to alpine grasslands, saplings, orchards, and gardens, and are concerning competitors for grazing sheep.  The rabbit population took off in the 1870’s, where over th
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