Hunua Range

The beeping from my alarm was not welcome this morning. I cannot remember the last time I woke up before 6am (other than for my flight to NZ). Why so early? Today was our first field experience. It was technically suppose to be yesterday but today's weathered looked more promising for hiking. Looking outside, I could attest for this.

Between 6am and 7am was complete chaos in the wharekai. 26 people were trying to eat breakfast, make lunch and clean up all before the mentors arrived with the vans. At 7:15, we were off with 3 vans, 32 people and a whole bunch of field gear. The drive consisted of curvy roads and lots of singing in preparation for the marae tomorrow. The marae is a sacred Māori place of welcoming strangers from all over the world. In order to commit to this welcome ceremony, EcoQuest students were asked to perform a Māori and American song to the Māori people. For our Māori song, we chose Kahikatea, which emphasizes standing tall and together like the native Kahikatea trees. And for the American song, Lean On Me.

When we arrived at the parking lot entrance of the Hunua Range, I couldn't hear a thing but rushing water. Stepping out of the van, I recognized the sound as a large waterfall not 100 feet from us. Itching to explore, the mentors let the students check out the waterfall before heading on the hike. It was beautiful. Rushing water flowed over the top of the ridge and crashed against the sharp rocks at the bottom. There was also a fault line next to the waterfall which we concluded to be the result of volcanic lava. A very cool sight to see, indeed.

After we were all done playing in the waterfall, it was time to get to hiking. Maree split us into two groups. She mentioned that the paths could only fit one person across and that traveling with 32 people would be extremely overwhelming. I was in the group that went up the steep path first. The other group went through the exit and planned to meet us half way. When we first got into the forest, the trees were spectacular. It reminded me of the rainforest from Tarzan. I mean, we were in a subtropic rainforest. So I guess that makes sense. 

My first observation: I could see my breath from all of the moisture in the air. My second observation: It sounded like a tropical rainforest with exotic squawking birds. This was nothing I'd ever experience before. 

Five minutes into the hike, it was time for the group to cross a stream. Knee deep in water, it was practically impossible to avoid getting your socks wet. So the rest of the hike was performed in wet socks and boots. 

Every few hundred feet, Maree and Chris would stop the group to talk about another plant, bird or animal species in the area. After a few hours, I quickly came to find which specie was my favorite: the Panga Palm. It was extremely tall and the palms spread across the canopy like clouds. Stunning. 

Around noon, we had lunch at the dam. Based on where I was sitting, to my right was a dam-infleunced lake and to my left were momma and baby sheep. Seeing lambs will never get old. 

About 3 hours into the trip, we crossed over the other group. The rest of the hike seemed to be down slope, which was a great change of pace from our previous upslope climb. There were some great views of Auckland city and it's surrounding islands during the second half of the hike. 

On the way home from the hike, our vans pulled over 20 minutes from EcoQuest campus. We were driving down a dirt path for some time when we saw a sign: "Miranda Hot Springs." The mentors figured our bodies could use a little TLC after our 12 mile, 6 hour hike and brought us to a natural hot spring. So considerate of them. Comments on the hots spring? Warm. Really warm. And relaxing. 

The rest of the night consisted of making/eating/cleaning dinner and finalizing plans for this weekend. I succumbed to my fellow EcoQuesters and am deciding to go to Auckland this weekend. Our plan is to leave campus Friday and stay two nights in Auckland. There ARE lots of things to do there, like visit New Zealand's newest island and explore the volcanic caves. So I guess I'll still get my adventure.