{"id":121,"date":"2019-05-05T08:21:01","date_gmt":"2019-05-05T08:21:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lakerblogs.lssu.edu\/studyabroad\/?p=121"},"modified":"2019-05-05T08:21:01","modified_gmt":"2019-05-05T08:21:01","slug":"aint-no-rest-for-the-lakers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lakerblogs.lssu.edu\/studyabroad\/2019\/05\/05\/aint-no-rest-for-the-lakers\/","title":{"rendered":"Ain\u2019t No Rest for the Lakers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tauranga, NZ – Sunday, May 5, 2019<\/p>\n

Luke B. and Kaitlyn T.<\/p>\n

\"\"As the saying goes, \u201cAin\u2019t no rest for the wicked\u201d, we Lakers experienced a day full of adventures. Our day started at 5:00 AM with a hike up Mount Maunganui to watch the stunning New Zealand sunrise. We were the complete opposite of bright eyed and bushy tailed, knowing the long day ahead of us. *New Zealand fun fact: Mount Maunganui is the first place to see the sunrise each day!*<\/em>\u00a0 After a long, treacherous uphill battle, and our bus driver Paul telling us, \u201cIt\u2019s only ten more minutes to the top\u201d (a lie), we made it to the top of the 761-foot tall mountain. Atop the mountain, we were able to reflect on our journey thus far and the strong connection with nature we had made.\"\" <\/span><\/p>\n

Post-sunrise, we were all reminded that achieving the outcome we desired was a literal uphill battle and that sometimes the best things in life require both physical and mental effort. \"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

Beginning at 10:00 AM, our already five-hour day got further underway as we trekked with our guide, Doug, to and through a watershed (properly called a \u201ccatchment\u201d to please the Kiwis). The head of the catchment started far upstream of the tributary and ocean waters. Here, we got an exclusive look that many visitors do not always get. In the hands of nature\u2019s expert, Doug taught and showed us the characteristics of many types of trees and other plants. One such example he showed was of the Pukatea tree – a tree whose inner layer of bark can be boiled and used as a primitive form of morphine. Furthermore, he showed us that these trees also served as \u201cpossum hotels\u201d near the canopy. Sadly, possums are an invasive species to New Zealand and should not be thought of as cute and cuddly in their \u201chotel\u201d and\u00a0<\/span>should be regarded with all hostility and hatred. Also seen on this tree were other assortments of vines and plants growing along the trunk. What was fascinating was that the roots of these plants grew the entire length down the trunk grasping to it and gathered water via moisture collection in the air as opposed to being in soil.<\/span><\/p>\n

While here, a group of Lakers was tasked with determining water quality through the sampling and catching of macroinvertebrates. Water quality can be verified through a series of sightings of these aquatic insects. Certain macroinvertebrates are categorized as \u201cgreen\u201d, others as \u201cyellow\u201d and \u201cred\u201d, respectively translating to a \u201chealthy stream environment\u201d, \u201cmoderate health\u201d, and \u201cpoor health\u201d. These definitions of health are determined on the basis of oxygen concentration levels – the higher the concentration, the more \u201cgreen\u201d bugs that will be found. Groups were sent along sections of the stream and collectively caught a vast majority of \u201cgreen\u201d insects. None of this was completed without some screaming of surprise when they were first discovered (and of course the chill of the water). <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"One group of Lakers also conducted their trip research project throughout the day at different locations along the water catchment. Water quality is an extremely important topic for New Zealanders. Wherever you go in this country, everything is eco-friendly as green as can be. This can only be attained and maintained through conservation, proactive management, and continuous research along waterways. This group has set out to determine how the water quality changes throughout a water catchment, taking such an approach to cover a large area of data and observations. Though not specifically directed toward one side\u00a0<\/span>or another when regarding water quality and its underlying effects on both humans and the ecosystem, their research will help give a better understanding to what factors contribute to water quality degradation and what countermeasures can be done to combat it. Current findings show that the water drastically changes in health throughout the catchment and becomes considerably unhealthy at the end of the journey (last test site) for New Zealand standards. Good job Lakers and keep it up!<\/span><\/p>\n

Next, we visited an estuary, the mouth of a river where it meets the ocean. \"\"Doug explained to us that estuaries are rich in plankton which brings in various types of shells, crabs, and seagrass. Then, we all were challenged to find as many as these species as possible. We may have gotten pinched multiple times by the crabs, but it was a great experience. As a nursing student, I (Kaitlyn) have really enjoyed all the ecological experiences on the trip and learning about the impact ecology has on human health. This trip has provided all students with a multidisciplinary approach to our respected majors.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tauranga, NZ – Sunday, May 5, 2019 Luke B. and Kaitlyn T. As the saying goes, \u201cAin\u2019t no rest for the wicked\u201d, we Lakers experienced a day full of adventures. Our day started at 5:00 AM with a hike up Mount Maunganui to watch the stunning New Zealand sunrise. We[…]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-121","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-newzealand"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa25mL-1X","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":109,"url":"https:\/\/lakerblogs.lssu.edu\/studyabroad\/2019\/05\/04\/making-connections\/","url_meta":{"origin":121,"position":0},"title":"Making Connections…..","author":"kberchem","date":"May 4, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"May 4th, 2019- Tauranga. Jacob and Grant Today was about connecting to the Mouri which exists in all living things, connecting us in ways we are not used to considering in the states. Donna Kerridge, Maori health practitioner and educator, took us through the realization of this connection. We took\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "New Zealand"","block_context":{"text":"New Zealand","link":"https:\/\/lakerblogs.lssu.edu\/studyabroad\/category\/newzealand\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakerblogs.lssu.edu\/studyabroad\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2019\/05\/IMG_0274-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":129,"url":"https:\/\/lakerblogs.lssu.edu\/studyabroad\/2019\/05\/09\/journey-to-waitaia\/","url_meta":{"origin":121,"position":1},"title":"Journey to Waitaia","author":"kberchem","date":"May 9, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Monday May 6, 2019 Millie and Alison here! After yesterday's pre-dawn wake-up call to climb Mt. Maunganui for the sunrise, today we we able to sleep in a little. We started out trek this morning to Waitaia Lodge, a\u00a0Maori owned rainforest and traditional land where the traditional knowledge of foods\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "New Zealand"","block_context":{"text":"New Zealand","link":"https:\/\/lakerblogs.lssu.edu\/studyabroad\/category\/newzealand\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakerblogs.lssu.edu\/studyabroad\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2019\/05\/IMG-7088-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":176,"url":"https:\/\/lakerblogs.lssu.edu\/studyabroad\/2019\/05\/15\/176\/","url_meta":{"origin":121,"position":2},"title":"Last Day in Paradise.. All Endings are New Beginnings","author":"kberchem","date":"May 15, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Grant and Joy here. Today was our last day before traveling back to the States. It was pretty laid back since we spent the morning on the scenic route from Kaikoura back to Christchurch. We stopped at a cafe about halfway through the drive for a snack and to stretch\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "New Zealand"","block_context":{"text":"New Zealand","link":"https:\/\/lakerblogs.lssu.edu\/studyabroad\/category\/newzealand\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakerblogs.lssu.edu\/studyabroad\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2019\/05\/unnamed-6-300x169.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":142,"url":"https:\/\/lakerblogs.lssu.edu\/studyabroad\/2019\/05\/10\/crosswalks-culture-and-cities-oh-my\/","url_meta":{"origin":121,"position":3},"title":"Crosswalks, Culture, and Cities, Oh My!","author":"kberchem","date":"May 10, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Thursday, May 9th, 2019 - Auckland Erin and Kaitlyn On today\u2019s adventure, we got to explore the beauty of Auckland, a city on the West side of the North Island. We loved getting to walk around the city for a few hours; seeing the different buildings, cultures, and people. As\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "New Zealand"","block_context":{"text":"New Zealand","link":"https:\/\/lakerblogs.lssu.edu\/studyabroad\/category\/newzealand\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakerblogs.lssu.edu\/studyabroad\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2019\/05\/bridge-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":89,"url":"https:\/\/lakerblogs.lssu.edu\/studyabroad\/2019\/04\/29\/catch-flights-not-feelings\/","url_meta":{"origin":121,"position":4},"title":"Catch Flights, Not Feelings","author":"kberchem","date":"April 29, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Hi, everyone! Sammie & Paige here. We've arrived in Sault Ste. Marie, ON and are waiting to board our flight to Toronto. From there, we will be heading to Aukland, NZ. Everyone here is excited to get going and get this 20+ hour flight over with. New Zealand, for those\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "New Zealand"","block_context":{"text":"New Zealand","link":"https:\/\/lakerblogs.lssu.edu\/studyabroad\/category\/newzealand\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakerblogs.lssu.edu\/studyabroad\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2019\/04\/IMG_4334-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":86,"url":"https:\/\/lakerblogs.lssu.edu\/studyabroad\/2019\/04\/29\/singing-our-hearts-out-with-stephanie\/","url_meta":{"origin":121,"position":5},"title":"Singing our Hearts Out with Stephanie","author":"kberchem","date":"April 29, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Preparation for Powhiri - a traditional Maori Welcome During our class this semester, we had the honor of working with Stephanie Sabatine (LSSU Native American Center) in learning the song we'll be singing for this experience. \u00a0She generously gave of her time, her talents, and sent us to NZ with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "New Zealand"","block_context":{"text":"New Zealand","link":"https:\/\/lakerblogs.lssu.edu\/studyabroad\/category\/newzealand\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakerblogs.lssu.edu\/studyabroad\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2019\/04\/58737463_10218953096526952_4189667952171155456_n-225x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakerblogs.lssu.edu\/studyabroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakerblogs.lssu.edu\/studyabroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakerblogs.lssu.edu\/studyabroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakerblogs.lssu.edu\/studyabroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/49"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakerblogs.lssu.edu\/studyabroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=121"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lakerblogs.lssu.edu\/studyabroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakerblogs.lssu.edu\/studyabroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=121"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakerblogs.lssu.edu\/studyabroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=121"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakerblogs.lssu.edu\/studyabroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=121"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}