Penguins, Boulders, and Seals - Oh My!

Hello all! It's been a while! University has proven to be a pretty busy time (so much reading to do!) but I finally got to go on another adventure! This past Saturday I was able to go on my first ISA excursion.

First stop of this excursion was the Moeraki Boulders on Koekohe Beach. These are quite a site to see. You walk along the beach and there by the tide are a bunch of boulders scattered in the sand. How the boulders got there is a bit of a geological mystery. Scientists believe that the boulders are calcite concretions that were formed about 65 millions years ago. The Maori have a legend where they believe that the boulders are gourds that were washed onto the beach from the great canoe Araiteuru when it was wrecked upon landing in New Zealand hundreds of years ago. Its up to you whichever you would like to believe!

Each boulder weighs several tons and is up to two meters high (very difficult to climb on with my short legs).

The first view of the boulders when walking onto the beach

A close up. They look like turtle shells!

Conquering the Moeraki Boulders

A broken boulder

Not only did we get to see these natural wonders, but there were also stunning views of the ocean from Koekohe Beach. 

After playing and exploring among the boulders, its was off to the town of Oamaru. Oamaru is the largest town in North Otago, and during the 19th century it was an important port town. Its buildings are made of Omaru stone. This town is also home to a steampunk museum and an adult playground that, from personal experience, is so much fun. 

Some of the beautiful old buildings made of Omaru stone

The delicious lunch I had while in town

Next on the docket was a trip over to the elephant rocks along the fossil trail. The elephant rocks are a bunch of weathered limestone rocks that vary from 1-10 meters in size. This location was used as a filming location for The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. This is where Aslan set up his camp when working to battle against the witch. Also among these rocks is a fossil of a baleen whale.

Some of the Elephant Rocks

Look out White Witch! 

Some cool formations in the rock

The baleen whale fossil

After exploring the lands of Narnia, it was up to Katiki Point to go see the seals and penguins! Katiki Point is home to a wildlife reserve where the yellow-eyed penguins and fur seals are free to inhabit the beach without human interference. The Katiki Point lighthouse keeper's house is used as a rehabilitation center for sick and injured penguins and other sea birds. 

Two yellow-eyed penguins

A barking fur seal

Look at how cute it is! 

Katiki Point Lighthouse

Such a busy day! But it was great to finally get out and see some of the sights. Here's to hoping I can plan a new adventure for next weekend! 

First Week of Classes

Classes started this past Monday (February 28th) and luckily for me, my first class on Mondays isn't until noon! I start my week off with my CLAS108 course: Art and Archaeology: Of Gods, Heroes, and Men. So far this class hasn't exactly been my cup of tea (Minoan architecture, not so interesting) but here's to hoping it gets better! Starting on Week 3 of my semester I will have my Introduction to Conversational Maori tutorial. A tutorial is a way to have smaller groups out of the class come together to ask any questions about the material, or to be quizzed on the material since lectures can be quite large. That ends my Mondays, at 2:00!!!

Tuesdays I go to the Geology Building at 9:00am (so early!) to my ZOOL221 class: Animal Designs for Living. This class is so great, we are looking at the diversity of animals, their functions, and learning to identify animals based off of these functions. Our first lab was this past Wednesday (I had to buy a lab coat, so official!) and we ended up doing a lab I had already done at Unity. Specimens of freshwater invertebrates were brought in and we were tasked with using a dichotomous key to identify the species of each one. Next lab we get to take kick nets out and collect and identify specimens from the Leith River while in the field.

The Geology Building, only 4 minutes from my flat! 

At 11:00 I go on to ECOL211: Ecology of Communities and Ecosystems. This class looks at the diversity of ecosystems and the communities within them. Finally, Tuesday ends with my MAOR110: Introduction to Conversational Maori lecture, which has been pretty interesting so far. My lecturer is Irish, Scottish, and Welsh (I think) but has been speaking fluent Maori for 10 years. Maori pronunciation is  a bit like Spanish, especially with the pronunciation of the vowels and the rolling of their r's. Another day ended at 2 pm (go me!).

Wednesdays I have my second ZOOL221 lecture, CLAS108, and finally my ZOOL221 lab. Lab goes on until 5 pm! What a day! The rest of my week is pretty easy, with only 2 classes on Thursday and a lab on Friday for ECOL211. In this lab we began looking at mites on leaves and their use of domatia (small pits found on the surface of leaves near the veins). What an interesting world you find under a microscope!

Such an easy schedule gives me plenty of time to explore the enormous campus that is the University of Otago.

Some of the old buildings on campus

The Physics Department

The Archway

A look down the Leith

The clock tower!

After a long week of adjusting to classes, I didn't get to do much exploring this weekend, but here's to more adventures to come!