tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36957043708914460192024-03-06T00:46:22.324-08:00GLG217/GLG465 New Zealand Trip 2013Colin & Natasciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02009155837115404141noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695704370891446019.post-30884566074115985802013-02-25T17:34:00.000-08:002013-03-10T20:46:14.933-07:00Day 8-9: Soaring Home and the End of the AdventureWow. The past two days have felt like one extremely long day. It began with waking up at the Christchurch campground. All of us were exhausted from getting there so late, so the morning began slowly, wetly and coldly. Eventually we were ready to go and in the cars, and we drove off to the airport, waving goodbye to the last of the Top Ten Holiday Parks.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from plane of 1 hour flight from Christchurch to Auckland; spectacular, and our shortest flight! </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the south coast of the North island.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Students in Auckland airport, minutes before the REAL flying began...</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From our flight to Auckland and onward, everything has been a blur of timezone changes, airplane food and checking bags.The first flight from Auckland to Melbourne was only three hours, so that one was not so bad, but the next flight to Dubai was fourteen hours long. After a particularly uneventful flight, students got to relax in the Dubai airport for four hours, then hopped onto the next fourteen hour plane ride.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After watching the same safety video for Emirates for the sixth (and last!) time, we were off. Time seemed to fly as we all drifted in and out of sleep, but eventually the snow covered ground of Toronto could be seen. We all had the biggest smiles on our exhausted faces; for despite the mountain climbing, wave riding and rock identification we had done, we had officially survived our dreaded 35+ hours of flying. Now that was something we were ALL proud of. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Overall, this trip has been spectacular both geologically and in terms of experiences. We certainly became a close group, and would all like to extend a warm round of thanks to Russ Pysklywec and Grant Henderson for making the trip possible by coming with us. Also a huge thanks to Charly Bank who helped in the planning of this trip from day one, and to the folks at ICM who made this trip possible with funding. You have all contributed to one unforgettable experience that has made each of us students more keen to explore and learn about the world we live in. For that, there are truly no words enough to say thank you. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I leave you with this: </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Civilization exists by geological consent, subject to change without notice.”</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">-Will Durant</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The geology of New Zealand is remarkable, and yet it is still changing even today. By seeing the present features the past has created, we as geologists can make prediction as to why the earth changes the way it does. By doing so we can make humans safer in their living arrangements, and also can appreciate the raw beauty and power of an ever changing planet. Thank you for the last time readers, and never forget that life is an adventure.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">**P.S. We have not uploaded nearly as many photos as we would like to, so keep looking at the blog as we consolidate pictures. We want to show you as many as possible. Thanks!</span></span></div>
GLG217/GLG465 New Zealand Triphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05728672140348410397noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695704370891446019.post-590750799013102452013-02-24T20:16:00.002-08:002013-03-10T20:45:25.783-07:00Day 7: Journey to Centre (ish) of the EarthToday was our last real day of exploration in New Zealand. It was really bittersweet, knowing that at this time the next morning we'd be on our way to the airport. The day began with waking up at Pohara Beach on Golden Bay. Several students slept on the beach, and woke up to the crashing sound and sight of green waves creeping alarmingly close to where they slept.<br />
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The rest of the camp woke sleepily and slowly. As the night before had been an extremely late one, many students found it hard to emerge from their tents in the morning. Soon, the thought of cereal and toast lured us out of bed, and we were quickly packed up and ready to go to the Nelson Region to walk amongst the remains of a ghost mine.<br />
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The drive took longer than expected because we had been misled to the entrance to the trail by good old Google Maps. We eventually found it, at the end of a long, winding, and isolated dirt road. We were greeted by the sight of the Roding River, marking the first of many crossings of it on the footpath. Traversing a rickety and somewhat dangerous-looking bridge, we began our hike through a unique section of New Zealand geology: a section of oceanic crust that had obducted onto the continent over 250 million years ago.<br />
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As we hiked through the exotic forest path, we were greeted at first by Permian mudstones and sandstones (more on those later). Our destination was the terrain above the now-abandoned United Mine, which ran only temporarily at the end of the 1800s in an economically futile attempt to mine copper.<br />
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We crossed the river a few more times, getting our feet (and sometimes more) just *slightly* damp - okay, maybe soaked. Many a time, supposedly "waterproof" boots failed to live up to their claims.<br />
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We passed on old smelting furnace, where copper ore was melted down, piles of slag still covering the nearby area.<br />
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After our last river crossing, the trees began to thin and eventually disappeared altogether. We were now standing on exposed land, with just a few short shrubs (and a lot of GIANT bees) surrounding us. This was our goal: the Dun Mountain-Maitai Terrain, a region of ultramafic lower lithospheric crust that somehow had managed to avoid being swallowed into the Earth. The missing trees were indicative of the huge quantities of phytotoxic heavy metals in the rocks and soil here.<br />
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At the stop, the assigned fourth-year students gave their talk on the area - the rare mantle-derived rocks and their serpentinized end-products - and then sent us off to collect some hand samples.<br />
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We analysed the orangish-brown rocks for their texture, colour, mineralogy, grain size, lithology, and structure, and broke some open to reveal beautiful olivine, pyroxene, and chromite crystals.<br />
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This was the base of the large section of now-upturned lithosphere preserved here. As we walked back, we were essentially hiking from the top of the mantle up through the Earth's crust. We passed intermediate igneous rocks, one showing a clear basaltic dike running through.<br />
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Next we walked along (or up?) through limestones, then sandstones and siltstones. The texture and colour of the changing rock was visibly apparent at the many outcrops by the river, as we traveled forward through time in more ways than one.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outcrop next to river, with sunglasses for scale</td></tr>
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One of the best moments of the afternoon was when several students (and Russ!) jumped into the river to go for an impromptu swim; the swimming quickly evolved into jumping off rocks into deep parts of the river, after which we decided to get back to the geology and head back along the trail.<br />
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The last geological section were the Permian mudstones mentioned earlier; we were told about the abundance of fossils found in these rocks (at least, compared to the rest of New Zealand) and how these contained ammonites correlating the beds with accurately-dated European ones.<br />
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Eventually we made our way out of the woods and finally began driving to Christchurch, where we would be taking our flight out the next day. The cars separated and drove down the magnificent Eastern coast of the South island, taking in views of penguin-covered rocks and even a pod of whales making their way down the Pacific ocean.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading out of the woods </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pine tree forests on slope of the mountain</td></tr>
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The drive was truly breathtaking; whether it was a field of sheep grazing at the base of a mountain.....<br />
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<span style="text-align: start;">.....or vineyards that stretched in perfect rows as far as the eye could see...</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;"> ....the scenery made us want to stay forever. While the drive was long, it was worth it to see the beauty of New Zealand one last time.</span></div>
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We all arrived at the Christchurch campsite at varying late times, and fell asleep almost instantly. Tomorrow, we're leaving. Our flight is going to be incredibly long: from Christchurch to Auckland, then Auckland to Melbourne, Melbourne to Dubai and finally Dubai to Toronto. Wish us luck! Thanks for reading. :)GLG217/GLG465 New Zealand Triphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05728672140348410397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695704370891446019.post-49400226086025384272013-02-23T04:32:00.001-08:002013-03-10T20:18:01.315-07:00Day 6: Surf, Sand, and Cenozoic SedimentsToday we awoke in a misty haze and stumbled to the kitchen to make breakfast early in the morning. We left soon after, around 9:30, to make our way to Pohara Beach in Golden Bay.<br />
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The drive was extremely long, but worth it. The winding roads up and down mountains were slightly nauseating but the view was spectacular. Going over the Takaka hills was fascinating as well, as lumpy features carved out of marble (metamorphosed limestone) and even some blue schist marked an ancient continental shelf, circa the Devonian period of the Paleozoic era (~390 million years old!).<br />
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Once reaching the beach, we set up our tents quickly and immediately hit the sand. The afternoon was spent walking down the beach to beautiful limestone cliffs teeming with shallow ocean fossils from the Cenozoic Era. Many of us also found a cave-like outcrop structure with more fossils and great climbing walls.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Limestone "caves"! Huge!!</td></tr>
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The differential bedding of the limestone on one of the large blocks was interesting because it was indicative of varying depositional environments through time.<br />
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On the beach itself, it was particularly interesting to see the comparison between recently washed up shells and their fossilized counterparts in the rocks.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Extinct and extant bivalves; New Zealand dollar for scale</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Probably an echinoid of some sort. (similar to a sea urchin)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Acroporan corals.</td></tr>
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The late afternoon and evening was spent taking a break, with students building a sand castle and (attempting) to protect it by fighting off the rising tide; but to no avail - the castle was destroyed. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The castle!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But then the tide came in...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another castle; whoever built this one was smarter than us, building it so far up the beach! :)</td></tr>
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Afterwords we played some ultimate frisbee on the beach:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Avery getting some air!</td></tr>
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and then had a magnificent vegetarian dinner, enjoyed the local bar, and eventually ended up all sitting on the beach, watching the waves.<br />
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Tomorrow, we head to CHRISTCHURCH!!!! Flight home is in two days. Time certainly flies when you're having fun. We will post pictures soon. Thanks for reading!GLG217/GLG465 New Zealand Triphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05728672140348410397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695704370891446019.post-9098162405179488232013-02-21T04:18:00.000-08:002013-03-02T20:33:16.682-08:00Day 5: A Tale of Two RiversWith a chilly, dew-hung start we woke this morning to see the familiar silhouette of the coastal mountains. We took a few minutes to shower, eat breakfast and pack our bags, opting to leave the tents up and get to doing geology right away. Our adventure began with a short drive to the base of the trail up to Franz Josef Glacier. Once there, we hiked for twenty minutes through the native coastal rainforest of the South Island. We got our first glimpse of what was to come in a large, metamorphic erratic overgrown with trees and moss.<br />
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Once we got out of the forest, we found ourselves standing on a vast glacial river plain. We were astonished at the wide span of the riverbed, although the current river only ran in a small carved channel with steep banks.<br />
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Between the two mountain walls, the river bed was a combination of extremely fine sediment, gray river water, and red-lichen-covered schists. </div>
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As we walked toward the ice, we passed great metamorphic clasts of shiny-biotite- and green-chlorite-containing schist. Some of these were more angular in appearance than rounded, indicating they were probably scraped off by the glacier the last time it was at this level.<br />
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We also came across some very interesting fluvially-carved features, such as this tube-like scarp.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFwTADtB4wLCERcw4YrohJFltq2mYomx1gJgiF5C9K-g5D144KBs3LTnkawU5SeE0Z77j2G_cc5_RQQ8Go1nNW8fY8PaKuz_rLrEl_zx7Ig2WnqoshwKU9j0IR0RJAcPKiQj2wrjRRQjw/s1600/DSC_0261.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFwTADtB4wLCERcw4YrohJFltq2mYomx1gJgiF5C9K-g5D144KBs3LTnkawU5SeE0Z77j2G_cc5_RQQ8Go1nNW8fY8PaKuz_rLrEl_zx7Ig2WnqoshwKU9j0IR0RJAcPKiQj2wrjRRQjw/s640/DSC_0261.JPG" height="427" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Note also the extreme dipping angle of the metamorphic rocks! This region has experienced massive tectonic forces</td></tr>
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In the center of the valley was Franz Josef Glacier itself, a massive sheet of ice that last filled the valley 20, 000 years ago. We discussed the physics of the glacier: the fact that the ice is currently advancing by 1 m per year, even though the glacier's terminus is retreating; the way that Mie scattering causes the deep blue colouration of the ice; the way it moves due to a fluidized later at the base from hydrostatic pressure; and many other aspects. We also talked about how large-scale climate cycles (the Milankovitch cycles) are influenced by orbital motion of the Earth and have an impact on glacial maxima.<br />
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Though we were unable to get extremely close to the glacier, we were still able to easily see the impact it had on the geomorphology of the landscape.<br />
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The second stop of the day was the actual plate boundary between the Pacific and Indo-Australian plates. We hiked along yet another riverbed, but this time we were not in a tourist area (which was a nice change): Gaunt Creek. </div>
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Once we arrived at the fault, we discussed its formation and had several
(educational) arguments about different possibilities for rocks and
minerals. The green rock visible in the pictures below was supposed to mark a band of cataclastics, rocks that had been ground up by the strike-slip action of the fault and spit out as tiny, fine kaolin. Adjacent to those was a band of mylonite, rock that has been jumbled together and deformed, also under the immense pressure of the fault.</div>
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After hiking back for two hours to return to our cars, we drive another three hours to get to Westport, our next camp site. The beautiful drive consisted of the mountains on the right and the Tasman sea on the left. On the way we stopped for the best fish and chips of the trip so far, and eventually found ourselves at our campsite. </div>
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Other highlights of the day included a possible Kiwi bird sighting this evening on the road, and visiting the limestone Pancake Rocks by moonlight!<br />
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These rocks consist of alternating layers of mud-poor and mud-rich limestone (known as "stylobedding"); the muddier layers erode away more easily, leaving the distinct "pancake" texture of the rocks.<br />
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Tomorrow we'll be doing more driving to get to Golden Bay. Hopefully it will be as warm as it was today (23 degrees)! Thanks for reading! :)</div>
GLG217/GLG465 New Zealand Triphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05728672140348410397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695704370891446019.post-65597506751918155602013-02-20T03:05:00.004-08:002013-02-28T18:01:09.375-08:00Day 4: Driving, Arthur's Pass and More Driving<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We woke up this morning in the pitch dark of 5 AM, Auckland summer.<br />
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Making eggs REALLY fast and throwing our stuff in the vans before the sun even rose, we arrived at Auckland International Airport just an hour and a half later. Checking our bags was a breeze compared to the Dubai check in; we literally went from rental car drop-off to boarding in an hour, a record time for our "extremely efficient" group (according to Henderson).<br />
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The plane ride itself offered spectacular views of the Southern Alps before landing in Christchurch. The mountains rose from the ground unexpectedly, some rising high enough to still contain snow, despite it being the summer. As we landed our anticipation to drive through them and witness the great mountain-building forces of New Zealand reached a peak (haha). We were not disappointed!<br />
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The drive to the west coast was spectacular. As a chillier breeze of cooler South Island air blew through the window, we set off between the majestic lower mountains of greywacke, eroding so significantly at their tops that they almost looked as though they were covered in snow.<br />
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Limestone monoliths jutted out from the grass as though pushing away from the surrounding landscape. They were beautiful and fascinating both visually and geologically.<br />
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We continued driving until we arrived at a wide rocky river plain in Arthur's Pass National Park which flowed towards the Pacific Ocean. When several students arrived at the plain, we decided to explore: we got out to examine the river bed, and some of us even waded into the river! It was SO cold that it felt as though our skin was burning from the chill, and so we spent most of our time walking on the dry rocks and discussing the differences between a glacial plain and a river plain.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDle4j3UFk9ciNhBektLN8tve218yadcLOZwdGLIM3ywbxElrQakuZaCmBmXkqEIcdT-7pi-RYziqbfunUMek6GZ4_WI3Nj69EenCI4H8dPCiSgRMWcA4NGOkFEW8OvXqcSM63nMTPh2A/s1600/DSC_7181.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDle4j3UFk9ciNhBektLN8tve218yadcLOZwdGLIM3ywbxElrQakuZaCmBmXkqEIcdT-7pi-RYziqbfunUMek6GZ4_WI3Nj69EenCI4H8dPCiSgRMWcA4NGOkFEW8OvXqcSM63nMTPh2A/s640/DSC_7181.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taking notes on the clast composition of the plain</td></tr>
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When we finally found it in ourselves to (painfully) wade back across and get back in the cars, we continued driving and discussed the amazing geologic formations around us. We drove until we saw the Tasman Sea, crossing over the plate boundary between the Pacific plate and Indo-Australian plate which was marked by rivers emptying into the two different bodies of water. We arrived at the campsite, thoroughly sick of cars, but excited to be within sight of our next goal: Franz Josef Glacier!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fourth year students discussing their material for the next day</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Updating the blog (!) and peering at the glacier through a telescope</td></tr>
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We hope it gets a little warmer; it will be cold enough with all that ice!</div>
GLG217/GLG465 New Zealand Triphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05728672140348410397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695704370891446019.post-7724069483763517542013-02-19T05:50:00.000-08:002013-03-01T12:29:19.783-08:00Day 3: The Road to Piha<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
After our exhausting trek yesterday, we allowed ourselves an extra hour or so of sleep this morning. Despite that, almost everyone was up by 7:00 AM, and we were packed and on the road again just after nine. We waved goodbye to Lake Taupo, and though we were leaving behind the beautiful scenery we were also heading towards a far better campsite.<br />
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A few kilometers away we stopped at a lookout to get a final glimpse and to hear more from the GLG465 students regarding the underlying geodynamics of the region. We got a primer in magma genesis and gravity anomalies, as well as information about identification of eruption deposits based on ash analysis (the subject of one of the students' thesis research).<br />
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Then we were off! On the road again, this time back towards Auckland in the northwest. It was a long drive there, with many swerving trails through treacherous roads (and more than some coaxing of the GPS). We passed some interesting limestone formations (including areas that Henderson himself claimed he'd never been through), and a herd of the iconic animals this country is known for - sheep!<br />
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Late in the afternoon we finally pulled over the top of the hill on Piha Road, and were greeted with the magnificent hidden beauty of Piha Beach. We descended down the hillside, and pulled to a stop down shore from the famous Lion Rock. Then it was time to whip out the bathing suits! It was our first taste of the ocean since arriving, and everyone was excited to feel the sand and surf.<br />
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Some of us went over to examine Lion Rock. There were huge, dark, igneous clasts embedded in a very fine matrix on the side facing us, which we interpreted as being laid down in a large, explosive, proximal volcanic eruption.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Geologist for scale)</td></tr>
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There was also a particularly nice chert nodule embedded in the rock!<br />
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As we climbed the set of stairs carved into the rock, we came upon a visible stratification on the opposite side. This could have been from a previous eruption at a more distal location, producing a finer bedding of ash with distinct layering.<br />
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Finally, we reached the top of the rock! Or at least, as far as one could go: the old path leading all the way to the top appeared to have crumbled at one section, shortening the path to just a lower section. Still, it was a great experience to be up there - we had an amazing view of the entire beach!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"We were here"</td></tr>
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As the clouds moved in and a light drizzle descended upon our party, we decided to pack things in and head to our campsite in Auckland. Some more minor detours through hilly, winding roads and a few wrong turns later, we finally came upon the site - only a few kilometers from Auckland International Airport, perfect for us to get up bright and early (5 AM!!!) for our flight to Christchurch!</div>
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See you in the South Island!</div>
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GLG217/GLG465 New Zealand Triphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05728672140348410397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695704370891446019.post-49019211966128669292013-02-18T02:22:00.002-08:002013-02-26T02:06:55.318-08:00Day 2: The Top of the Bottom of the WorldAs we set off across the plains of the Taupo Volcanic Zone this morning, we bore witness to the incredible natural landscapes unique to New Zealand. Lit under ethereal rays of sunlight shining through the morning overcast, we got our first good glimpse of the three volcanoes at Tongariro National Park: Ruapehu (pronounced Roo-ah-pay-hoo), Ngauruhoe (Nowr-a-ho-ee), and of course, Tongariro itself.<br />
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Our planned 20-km hike across the Tongariro Alpine Crossing had to be cut short because of increased volcanic activity at one of the vents of Tongariro. Driving in, we were able to see a large amount of steam pouring out of this vent - quite a dramatic sight!<br />
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We stopped at the nearest village to the trails of Tongariro itself; the village of Whakapapa ("pronounced FA-KA-PA-PA", as Grant helpfully explained). The one issue we had was making lunch. As we had to take a shuttle bus to the beginning of the trail, we had roughly 15 minutes to make 24 sandwiches. So we divided and conquered and literally ran into the shuttle bus with seconds to spare. That was probably the least of our challenges for the day!<br />
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When we arrived at the entrance to the trail, we spend the first few moments being astonished at the size of the volcano and its associated lava flow. Once we tore our eyes away from the sight, the fourth year students provided the entire group with a short explanation of the tectonics responsible for the volcanoes, and of its geologic past. Once the discussion had ended, we set out.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI6a9CnBixHdQu_tRehW4HgIdQ6Ytz040H5BRIjK5Fz42x7_B20ei86o4tbwqNJe6NUcf100mq9uN-Ky8_mlONtqVeC839pklibeFpIqIiaKXPgTVJ4bwCrWh-7lEoHPupEh2kirNUlNM/s1600/DSC_7024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI6a9CnBixHdQu_tRehW4HgIdQ6Ytz040H5BRIjK5Fz42x7_B20ei86o4tbwqNJe6NUcf100mq9uN-Ky8_mlONtqVeC839pklibeFpIqIiaKXPgTVJ4bwCrWh-7lEoHPupEh2kirNUlNM/s640/DSC_7024.JPG" height="422" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shilika, Roma, and Daniel explain our geographic context and the associated plate tectonics leading to the marvels behind us</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Group shot! Before the exhausting journey.</td></tr>
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Wow. That is really the only way to describe the next five hours of our lives. The Alpine Crossing trail itself was largely uphill and began at 1100 meters. We saw amazing geologic evidence of past lava flows on Ngauruhoe, and walked amongst the silent giants of the crossing for several kilometers.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii-3r0kSWMJgdgP07ltJpPrlCjvt4C7iTfWcK5wGcqK6jOG1nIO2w3P8Lbd0fMYYbzdYca2N16kWKziJ9v6JifZmV8HSMnaqwDg_h1Z_49G1Jk0X3TwcF-834oD1r-cKf_nReKyCu45Kw/s1600/IMG_0491.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii-3r0kSWMJgdgP07ltJpPrlCjvt4C7iTfWcK5wGcqK6jOG1nIO2w3P8Lbd0fMYYbzdYca2N16kWKziJ9v6JifZmV8HSMnaqwDg_h1Z_49G1Jk0X3TwcF-834oD1r-cKf_nReKyCu45Kw/s640/IMG_0491.JPG" height="425" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Columnar basalt in an old magma chamber next to Ngauruhoe</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWzolk1frOyRBuCowHRNeJlNe726guiNGAgNq0bYQ5eUtC1ExrHqlu0e9OyQiLki2Wp325SQG47sVm7sgTbcRnhKnUYY2dL6XsxsdYUH273M1NsQM0df0WdxRjP2SnXOcgc9PtCAYyGJI/s1600/IMG_0504.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWzolk1frOyRBuCowHRNeJlNe726guiNGAgNq0bYQ5eUtC1ExrHqlu0e9OyQiLki2Wp325SQG47sVm7sgTbcRnhKnUYY2dL6XsxsdYUH273M1NsQM0df0WdxRjP2SnXOcgc9PtCAYyGJI/s400/IMG_0504.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hiking in the valley leading to the first steep climb</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQHq9Hc9-g6eP4oSSIioS-1cI4K3VYVlsD_iiu5kwUYK44FW0m_dD7RBPk2K8yJFmgUsER32jcbHL2mRlGeC6UZGzxKGx5jcn5Yn424DXZUmCJXu9-O8taNHJXXPFQIG_iJkDQxkRkzDA/s1600/IMG_0534.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQHq9Hc9-g6eP4oSSIioS-1cI4K3VYVlsD_iiu5kwUYK44FW0m_dD7RBPk2K8yJFmgUsER32jcbHL2mRlGeC6UZGzxKGx5jcn5Yn424DXZUmCJXu9-O8taNHJXXPFQIG_iJkDQxkRkzDA/s640/IMG_0534.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ngauruhoe, or: Mount Doom!</td></tr>
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Once we cleared the most difficult part of the trail, the group split into two. One group climbed the rest of the treacherous slope to the rim of Ngauruhoe, while the other half observed the Emerald Lakes and Red Crater on Tongariro.<br />
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The group climbing Ngauruhoe had a very difficult task ahead of them for the final 400 meters or so - there was no clearly marked path and much of available surface was coated in very loose tephra and sediment. Each step let off a small avalanche of rocks, so we had to be careful to space ourselves so as to not injure each other. After an excruciating journey up above even the (lowest) clouds, we strained the final few meters to reach the crater rim, where an astonishing view of both the complex geologic nature of the stratovolcano and the majestic beauty of the rest of the North Island was at once visible to us.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimKBN4LuMvSHgT5pqu78Rr8xTGFd1st4uFBmJ9YD0g5lVlM6RQ2pHhBPoue2IV1jBtft5gXv_E93p0QQLDTqgW-GAVbM2Lusma1j-ImH460d65TiXVnLzAogYI_tTO1hjyrYjEmwf7JhY/s1600/IMG_0369.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimKBN4LuMvSHgT5pqu78Rr8xTGFd1st4uFBmJ9YD0g5lVlM6RQ2pHhBPoue2IV1jBtft5gXv_E93p0QQLDTqgW-GAVbM2Lusma1j-ImH460d65TiXVnLzAogYI_tTO1hjyrYjEmwf7JhY/s640/IMG_0369.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view into the volcano's crater: the layered structure of a stratovolcano is visible on the left</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS9P074ltsYP0V0KfKKg1SkvPRpLJKgsUilxC7XsRMOLnJsJe4qEkTjJBVznxxQN2tdxHjXgz6aUg5ebKaVoJ7wm6lgY1RjbtwbugIVIeuEb8nH1e_53m20Ta_Z8wdMUcelqoY5cn8DyA/s1600/IMG_2342(resized).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS9P074ltsYP0V0KfKKg1SkvPRpLJKgsUilxC7XsRMOLnJsJe4qEkTjJBVznxxQN2tdxHjXgz6aUg5ebKaVoJ7wm6lgY1RjbtwbugIVIeuEb8nH1e_53m20Ta_Z8wdMUcelqoY5cn8DyA/s640/IMG_2342(resized).jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"We look like a Russian exploration team"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3d5UKtzPUaYxi0pTQi6Y3Q4xpwA5PRz1oFoUGdt_MExVErn2ZXcpOrKS4H-YUszCPzP3zkAVmEuoDE_VMhiv7_pBCp9NSjpTQLCaRyEQvmGNHSYNvO1BH77HZgk9NtLZVrwXxCdXAZsA/s1600/IMG_0376.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3d5UKtzPUaYxi0pTQi6Y3Q4xpwA5PRz1oFoUGdt_MExVErn2ZXcpOrKS4H-YUszCPzP3zkAVmEuoDE_VMhiv7_pBCp9NSjpTQLCaRyEQvmGNHSYNvO1BH77HZgk9NtLZVrwXxCdXAZsA/s640/IMG_0376.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking out over Tongariro from Ngaurahoe: a floodplain is visible to the bottom left, and Blue Lake is in the centre</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMmRDcK-ij2X7-x5jF2iCSdUmb_BjC2kesPnt8bk4hL-GpuS-IGkc3CsdfBzLtJSOTXYE1Pf3RyTAs5zNOBaFNjXKD7TMfPIneDYlRTqCYRutDVTU_kCISrc2LVFPZhZTrvbR4JjWfWLw/s1600/IMG_0379.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMmRDcK-ij2X7-x5jF2iCSdUmb_BjC2kesPnt8bk4hL-GpuS-IGkc3CsdfBzLtJSOTXYE1Pf3RyTAs5zNOBaFNjXKD7TMfPIneDYlRTqCYRutDVTU_kCISrc2LVFPZhZTrvbR4JjWfWLw/s640/IMG_0379.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fumarole (steaming vent) in the hill behind Maddy!</td></tr>
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Meanwhile, the Emerald Lakes group got a good view of the old craters of Tongariro. Red Crater itself, at the highest point of the Alpine Crossing (~1800 m) is a currently inactive volcanic crater which was explored and sketched by the group. The bright green Emerald Lakes were a spectacular visualization of the high concentration of dissolved minerals unique in volcanic environments.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red Crater</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Describing landscapes, analysing samples, and taking notes with Ngaurahoe in the background </td></tr>
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Overall, the day was exhausting. Once returning to the campsite, there was a short period of swimming before dinner, after which most people collapsed into their tents. It was truly a spectacular, once-in-a-lifetime experience for all students, and we are all extremely pleased with what we learned and accomplished.<br />
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Tomorrow we're leaving the lake (unfortunately!) and heading back to the Auckland area, where we will spend the next day observing the geology of the region. The day after that we're hopping on a plane to Christchurch!<br />
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Thanks for reading!<br />
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GLG217/GLG465 New Zealand Triphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05728672140348410397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695704370891446019.post-87909518553878315182013-02-18T01:36:00.000-08:002013-02-26T01:42:15.463-08:00Day 1: Hot Pools, Geothermal Thermal Springs and New CampsiteSo today we awoke to a beautiful foggy morning at the Waikite Thermal Pools. After a groggy start, we started the day with a refreshing dip in the thermal pools.<br />
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As we watched the sun rise over the fog of the boiling river, we discussed the plan for the day.<br />
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We also took a quick trip to see the source springs again (this time in proper sunlight):<br />
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Much to our dismay, we had to leave the hot pools soon after, moving on to bigger and better geologic wonders. Once we had our campsite packed up (including our soggy, dew-covered tents, which did NOT dry after an hour, as we had hoped) we made our way to the Wai-O-Tapu Geothermal Wonderland. It took a few hours, during which many people fell asleep.<br />
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The first thing we did when we arrived was visit the Lady Knox Geyser. This is a regularly erupting geyser that normally has a cycle of about 36 hours between eruptions. However, for us fine folks up early in the morning, one of the park staff enticed the geyser at a predetermined time by pouring a biodegradable surfactant (or soap, in the olden days) down the geyser's mouth. This destabilized the equilibrium between the cold layer near the surface and the superheated water below, causing a jet of water to shoot up almost 10 m in height - after the staff member had moved away, of course.<br />
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After the geyser we remained at the site and the second years learned how to take proper field notes from the fourth years. The second years were given examples of field notebooks, and allowed to sketch the geyser with the proper methods that had just been learned. We also learned about the back-arc extensional rift zone (the area of mantle convection above a subducting plate) that allowed this geothermal system to exist in the first place.<br />
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After the sketching we moved into the park itself. This was where the real wonder began.<br />
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The vast number and quality of the thermal formations was astounding. We saw several geothermal craters, bubbling mud pits and even a lime green lake of sulfur.<br />
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The most iconic feature was the Champagne Pool, a 60-meter-wide by 62-meter-deep pool of acidic, 74-degree water, adjacent to which was the "Artist's Pallette", an overflow reservoir containing bright splotches of sulfur, antimony, mercury, and ferrous salts.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view from the edge of the Champagne Pool, looking over to the Artist's Palette</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alternate view of the Artist's Palette</td></tr>
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Once we completed the hike, we arrived at our new campsite. The best part of the site is that it is on Lake Taupo, with a picturesque view of the Tongariro-area volcanic formations. After going for a quick dip, and a great deal of waiting to cook dinner, we were finally fed and sent off to bed.<br />
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That was our day in a nutshell. Tomorrow, TONGARIRO NATIONAL PARK awaits! (20 km hike next to volcanoes!) We hope the weather stays beautiful!GLG217/GLG465 New Zealand Triphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05728672140348410397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695704370891446019.post-83790996357519666102013-02-17T01:01:00.002-08:002013-03-01T22:30:22.021-08:00Day 0: Arrival in AucklandWhether it was the pilot, the food, or the tap water in Dubai, our second flight was not as pleasant as the first. Quite a few people ended up nauseated, and there was a general haze of confusion as our bodies were wrenched by the time zone acrobatics. We stopped in Melbourne to refuel, and inexplicably had to pass through customs and have our bags checked for illegally imported goods - even though we weren't spending more than 30 minutes on the other side of the gate. The hot, stagnant air of the queues certainly did nothing to help those who were already ill, and by the time we got through there were just minutes remaining on the last call for boarding. (Who designed this system, exactly?)<br />
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Though many swore off air travel after our final flight (unfortunately for them, we'll be back in the air all too soon), after it we had finally arrived in New Zealand. Approaching the runway, the isolated island's stunning and ethereal landscape came into view. This time the customs process was rather painless, although very scrutinizing - there were a few tents that had to be checked through separately, and even our shoes were examined for signs of foreign species or material that might be introduced. Protecting biodiversity is a serious issue in New Zealand!<br />
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We met up with Grant and separated into groups for the three vans. Once our stuff was packed, we set off - on the left side of the road (a curious sensation to get used to, apparently even for Grant!)<br />
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The landscape revealed the full glory that could not be appreciated from the air, as we began the winding journey south out of Auckland. Immediately visible on the horizon were the Bombay Hills, a series of volcanic cones separating Auckland from the rest of the North Island.<br />
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We stopped for a rest and a chance to take our first photos of the landscape from terra firma. Snack food was also an important part here:<br />
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A few hours of driving later, we had arrived at our first overnight stop - Waikite Valley Thermal Pools!<br />
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We got a quick look at some of the source springs, and a few people had a chance to take a dip in the naturally heated water (more on that later!), but for the most part we just hurried to set up our tents and make some dinner. (Sandwiches... mmm...)<br />
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After our exhausting, 3-day journey, we were finally here - land of ancient creatures, complex tectonics, and of course, hobbits.GLG217/GLG465 New Zealand Triphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05728672140348410397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695704370891446019.post-91159904355183674202013-02-17T00:25:00.000-08:002013-02-26T01:35:03.381-08:00Say hi, Dubai!After a not-altogether-unpleasant 13 hours in the air, we arrived in the breathtaking city of Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. Swooping in over the Persian Gulf, the lucky few with window seats got a prime view of the city's sparkling extravagance. The Burj Khalifa, standing like the point of a great thumbtack in the desert, towered high above the surrounding city, itself an oasis materialized out of the arid desert.<br />
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There was an excruciating 3-hour wait to get through customs and immigration (including some trouble ensuring Gabriela's visa through Australia), but we finally disembarked and caught the shuttle bus to the hotel. First order of business upon arrival - dinner! <br />
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There was an amazing buffet, and though it was 11:30 PM local time we still had plenty of time to eat. Afterwards we split into a few groups and headed out to make the most of our meager 8 hours before we were scheduled to return.</div>
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A large group of us took taxis to the Burj Khalifa, four people to each and costing only 50 dirhams! (about $13 Canadian - is that atypical?). The drive there felt like traveling through some futuristic space-metropolis, punctuated by a strangely familiar sight - Tim Hortons!<br />
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We arrived at the base of the tower, and from there you had to literally crane your neck to see the top. There was a beautiful pond at the base of the tower, and we spent some time exploring that area. From there we spent a great deal of time taking photos, and later split into several different groups. Many of us went to the Palm Jumeirah, which is well known around the world for being a magnificent set of man-made islands.<br />
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We caught a few winks as the sun was starting to rise, and then got up for a quick bite before catching the shuttle back. Then it was another long wait in the airport - surprise, surprise - and we were back in the air.<br />
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On to Auckland!</div>
GLG217/GLG465 New Zealand Triphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05728672140348410397noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695704370891446019.post-23114846761469832302013-02-12T12:05:00.001-08:002013-02-12T19:45:59.460-08:00A Picturesque Preamble<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A few sights that we will be seeing/examining over the next 10 days:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgklGOPiQjJWQ7vVBUMDpGsLM-ECx0Kk3p_MzT_qPC4dSx8d2A4zhEC1hWuoq0btNByOHIJs_I9-v7JgSaZmZeJ3cenERCT8q3CX3ZRGOg2dfF3y-4NbZwhOrbP-R8X8M8V7jbYJz8eELo/s1600/5151.03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Rotorua Geothermal Fields" border="0" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgklGOPiQjJWQ7vVBUMDpGsLM-ECx0Kk3p_MzT_qPC4dSx8d2A4zhEC1hWuoq0btNByOHIJs_I9-v7JgSaZmZeJ3cenERCT8q3CX3ZRGOg2dfF3y-4NbZwhOrbP-R8X8M8V7jbYJz8eELo/s640/5151.03.jpg" title="Rotorua Geothermal Fields" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Rotorua Geothermal Fields, our first stop of the trip.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilgP6WOcePZXGUxB9XvpSIn3o2n8-U3NScWSwtuGPa11Cb-zm2dg-qDSlGS-p-pewQ-G1fjqJVY3IRmDPpm3QennQ1WGp3MBdhBPINEezEA1rvM0tZ6KQa4-T9PUgkw-iQyhuefSO2Zb0/s1600/tongariro-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Hello everybody!" border="0" height="417" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilgP6WOcePZXGUxB9XvpSIn3o2n8-U3NScWSwtuGPa11Cb-zm2dg-qDSlGS-p-pewQ-G1fjqJVY3IRmDPpm3QennQ1WGp3MBdhBPINEezEA1rvM0tZ6KQa4-T9PUgkw-iQyhuefSO2Zb0/s640/tongariro-3.jpg" title="Mount Tongariro" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mount Tongariro, a composite volcano in the Taupo Volcanic Zone of the North Island</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Franz Josef Glacier, on the west coast of the South Island. Note the surrounding lush greenery right next door! The glacier extends to just 300 m above sea level.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Eventually, we'll be the ones in those photos. And not just as tourists, but as budding geologists!</span>Colin & Natasciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02009155837115404141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695704370891446019.post-66902450059989045422013-02-12T11:31:00.001-08:002013-02-12T11:47:21.693-08:00The Adventure BeginsFirst blog post! This is the beginning of a great adventure. The Geology department of U of T is taking on NEW ZEALAND! We'll be hiking next to volcanoes, checking out glaciers and of course, looking at rocks! Stay tuned for updates. Leaving tomorrow!Colin & Natasciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02009155837115404141noreply@blogger.com2