Rainy Days are for Planting!

Living The Kiwi Life

25/09/23

Howdy folks! 

 I have officially been in New Zealand for two weeks! This kind of feels like a big deal? While I have loved being here, it really set in how truly FAR I am from home this past week. There's a lot to take in (good, new, and intriguing) but I have been missing my people. So, to those of you reading this and following along on this journey thank you. It really does make me feel more connected! 

Despite the bits of homesickness, I am breaking out of my little bubble and went to a volunteer planting event for World Rivers Day! While the temperature in Christchurch has be fluctuating drastically these last few days, it didn't stop us New Zealand Conservation Volunteers from planting Carex plants at Amelia Rogers Reserve! The Student Volunteer Army also participated in this event, so I got the opportunity to meet some folks around my age. Here's a sweet photo of me in a highlighter vest and some planting photos. Oh, and I got my 25th bird: a white-faced heron!

After the planting event, I got in some good hang out time with my roomie MJ. We played two rounds of rummy and then decided to go to Pak N' Save. We got a ton of baking supplies so we could bake in the morning. Today we made some chocolate walnut tarts, banana bread and jello! My tarts didn't quite set the way I wanted them to, but they still have their boyish charm. Later we went to the Avonside Red Zone* and we got to play with the cutest puppies. I saw two new species: a black swan and a European greenfinch. 

All in all, I don't have a ton of updates. I did crash a Birds New Zealand meeting tonight and met some bird people though! The speaker Paul did a fabulous presentation on fossils within the Paleocene and provided a comprehensive view of some of New Zealand's fossils. I attempted to do some networking and did hear about a keystone ecology position I plan to apply for. Tomorrow, I will be going to another planting event up by Sign of the Takahe and Sign of the Kiwi in the Port Hills. Wish me luck for no rain this time around!

*The Avonside Redzone is the aftermath of the large earthquake Christchurch had back in 2011. This zone was declared unfit to be rebuilt due to severe soil liquefaction. Now, the Redzone is a maintained area where people can walk their dogs and enjoy the plants. Most of the plants are left from the gardens of houses that were destroyed in the quake. There are several redzones throughout the city but Avonside is by far the largest.

Total Bird Species Count: 27/260