Maori culture – Maree Limpus
I write this having just returned from a wonderful three weeks in the South Island with a great group of people who have impressed me at every stage of the journey with their enthusiasm, openness, questioning and warmth.
The semester got off to a great start with the sun rising golden through mist, and the sea calm and milky as we drove the 25 students back to base from the airport for their first day in New Zealand. The fruit trees outside the student’s rooms were on form with oranges and grapefruits just waiting to be picked and the air was sweet with the smell of spring flowers as the students got their first sight of what would be home for the next 15 weeks.
The first week was full including orientation activities, map and compass skills, a day hike into the bush-covered hills behind the field centre and a trip up the road to a white sandy beach. This was the setting for exploring local ecology and personal ideas and values around environmental issues. It became clear that we had an outstanding group of students, 
as they embraced every opportunity - sharing thoughts openly and considerately and then jumping into the cold late winter sea for a swim - fantastic!
The first weekend off was a well-deserved break after 8 days of intense academic pursuit, getting familiar with a new country and a new culture. Most of the students headed into the hills, impressing us all with their adventurous spirits in the face of a less than perfect weather forecast!
Our first week away for field work was spent at Opoutere - a beautiful estuary and beach which was completely new to me. The weather blessed us as we studied catchment management and estuarine ecology and habitats – the latter often by kayak in the cool clear evenings.
The South Island component of the program was a just great – my favourite part of the semester – although having been to Opoutere there is stiff competition! Highlights included arriving in Craigieburn Conservation Park with snow falling and kea (alpine parrots) 
coming down to greet us, going out for a morning run in Kaikoura and seeing the snow covered mountains towering over the sea, and seeing how much the students got out of exploring the amazing rock formations of Castle Hill. Seeing the young seals playing in the rock pools on the way to Kaikoura was also pretty special. The places where we study ecology, impacts of tourism, land- and water management don’t get much better than this. It was great meeting up with the students after their 4-day break and hearing all about their adventures – coming face to face with a baby penguin in a cave sounded pretty hard to beat!