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Photography

Flowers of New Zealand.  

Throughout my travels in the South Island of New Zealand I captured photos of flowers I came across.  I took these photos to show the beauty and colorfulness of New Zealand.  This collection of photos can be a representation of humans; each type of flower is different and has its own type of beauty.  

I took the first photo on our way into the Yellow-eyed penguin center. The unique shape and bright pink and purple colors caught my eye. I took a macro shot to capture the flowers on their own to showcase the contrast against the green leaves. They even seem to look like dancers flowing down.  The second photo I took in one of the many ecosanctuaries we visited. Again, I took a macro shot to capture the flower by itself to shows its detail especially the slightly transparent petals which allow you to see the veins of the petal. The third photo was taken outside the Maori Marae.  It reminded me of the sun and stopped me immediately.  The fourth photo was taken in the beech tree forest in Mahu Whenua while we were conducting field research.  We were surrounded by these simple, yellow flowers and they gave me a sense of peace as I looked around.  They are very simple but still beautiful. The last photo was also taken at an ecosanctuary.  Our guide pointed them out saying they are a “typical New Zealand flower, small and white”.  I found them to be quite pretty and interesting to look at.  They grew all together as one large bush as opposed to spread out, individually.  

Each of these flowers grew differently, in completely different locations and sunlight.  They all are astonishingly beautiful in their own way. Each have a unique look and different shapes and sizes.  This is why I compared them to humans.  We are all different shapes, sizes, and have different skin colors/shades.  These flowers are all seen as beautiful, some more favored than others depending on the onlooker.  This is how it is for humans. We are all beautiful in our own way. One person may not think you are beautiful but to someone else you are their favorite.    

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Mahu Whenua

We spent four days in Mahu Whenua collecting research and helping with a large restoration project.  The first two days we collected stream samples using a kick net to analyze the macroinvertebrates in the water to assess the streams’ quality keeping in mind the amount of Didymo, an invasive alga, present. The last two days, one group continued onwards in the mountains to test more streams while the other group set up seed traps to collect Beech tree seeds in their mast year where they seed much more than usual. These will be used to replant Beech trees in hopes to restore the land to its previous forested areas rather than farmland.  This was not an easy feat and tested the strength of all of us in the group.  It was hard, physical labor in a mountainous area far from what it is like back in Ohio.  I began to appreciate the company of my fellow classmates more as we were without technology or cell service this whole time.  Also, I realized the amount of work and physical labor this project will take.  We spent only four days out in Mahu Whenua yet there was a ton of work to be done. This work lasted for hours in the extreme sun with sandflies nearby to bother.  I am glad to help in such an important project; it was very well worth the hours of labor put into it and I cannot wait to see the results of the seed collection and hopefully the difference in the land in years to come.

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NZ Culture

Statue at Mahu Whenua.  Maori culture is part of New Zealand. It is a huge part of New Zealand’s culture; as it should be since the Maori were the first people to be here and be part of the land.  They are a huge influence and their art, lifestyle, and culture are throughout New Zealand.   

Zealandia Ecosanctuary. There are quite a few ecosantuaries in New Zealand to protect certain species including Tuataras, Kiwis, and many other bird species.  They wrap these areas with fences to keep out predators and have traps to kill the invasive, harmful species that somehow manage to get in.  They are extremely beautiful areas to see and important in the preservation of specie sin New Zealand. 

Kiwis Nest Hostel.  There are many hostels throughout New Zealand to shelter travelers.  There are not hostels in America so I found these to be quite neat.  We stayed at hostels such as this one for the majority of our trip; each were a bit different from the previous. They were very homey and accommodating and very special for a traveling person or backpacker.    

Fern Leaf- Koru. The fern plants new growth creates a spiral known as a koru. These symbolize life, growth, and new beginnings. You will see these everywhere in New Zealand and are extremely important to the Maori culture.  

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Scientific Documentation

Collection from a stream in Mahu Whenua. Inside are macroinvertebrates including a toe-biter. This will later be analyzed in a lab where they typically find hundreds of macroinvertebrates in each sample depending on the stream’s water quality. 

Seed collection traps.  We put up traps to collect seeds from the beech trees. It is a mast year so there are more seeds than usual making this a perfect time for collection. These will later be used in the planting of more trees in order to restore the land to it previous beech forests.

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Wildlife

Yellow-eyed Penguin and babies in rehabilitation center. The yellow-eyed penguins are a unique species of penguin to New Zealand and are illegal to have in zoos. These penguins are sick or hurt in some way and is being cared for until it is better and can be released into the wild.

Red-Billed Gulls and babies.  These birds are extremely loud and like to take peoples food quite frequently.  People get very annoyed with them and call then a nuisance. I believe they are really interesting and have beautiful, piercing eyes. Plus, their fluffy babies are just too cute.

Weka - Flightless, New Zealand bird.  We spotted this guy on the edge of the hiking trail in Abel Tasman National Park.  He was very clumsy, tripping over branches and leaves. As I tried to take a photo he startled me by running towards my phone.  In turn, I started him and he ran away, tumbling down the hill clumsier than before. 

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Orokonui - Sue

I chose to photograph our wilderness guide, Sue, at the Orokonui ecosanctuary. I chose her because she was an amazing guide and very passionate about New Zealand and her work. She started working there in 2003 after being a 'semi-retired' teacher. She lives in the valley below and expressed how she "loves working in her backyard". She even wove her backpack herself that she is wearing from New Zealand flecks.  She was an overall wonderful person to meet and talk to; her passion and thrill to show us everything radiated off her which I found to be great.

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Takahanga Marae

We spent two nights at Takahanga Marae sleeping under their beautiful carvings and artwork. The hospitality of the family was wonderful. One daughter of the family told us stories of her culture and the meaning behind the artwork in the Marae. That was the most impactful to me because everything has a meaning, every small little detail had a purpose in the large room. There culture differs greatly from ours in the USA and focuses greatly on respect for yourself, your family and ancestors, and the Earth. She told stories of how birds are very important and hold many meanings to them. If a bird we’re to fly inside it must exit the way in which it came inside or else it is an omen of death and if a certain bird was seen it is also an omen of death. She told us her families encounters and the effect this has on them. I enjoyed hearing the stories she had to tell. It caused me to approach the art in the room many times just to observe closer and pick out the stories she had described. It was quite beautiful and something that I will never forget.

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4 January 2019

#travel #plane #new zealand

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Day Two

We finally made it to New Zealand two days ago even after a missed flight mishap and what better way to start off our adventure with a trip to the beach!

Day two was full of activities as we visited Zelandia and TePapa.  Zealandia, a huge wildlife sanctuary located in Wellington, was absolutely beautiful.  It is an extraordinary place to explore considering it was almost completely destroyed as mammals and humans inhabited the land. Now, they have restored it to a remarkable 225-hectare ecosanctuary full of native birds and other wildlife including the “living fossil” lizard Tuatara.  It was quite fun to walk around and try to spot as many animals as I could and exciting when I could spot a large, male Tuatara hiding amongst the green leaves.  This place should serve as a reminder to all that we should all try being mindful and preserve areas everywhere so areas do not need restored and species do not become endangered. It is crazy to think locals have the chance to visit this place anytime they please! I met a man walking along the trail that expressed how he enjoyed this place so much he takes a daily stroll through to admire it all. The chance of other species that could pose a possible threat to these species and conserved land increases with the amount of visitors and tourists although the sanctuary takes cautions to anticipate this and has routines such as bag checks.  

Afterwards, we took a tour through Te Papa lead by an amazing tour guide to explain the history and importance of certain traditions and pieces in the museum.  The artwork was stunning and the Maori exhibits were very interesting.  She emphasized that the museum “takes care of” the items they have on exhibit and they do not own them.  They will give out the pieces as needed for funerals or use of traditions which I thought to be very fascinating compared to the U.S where everything in a museum is on lock down.  This practice seemed very admirable to me and the deep respect, careful handling, and care for the Maori items was amazing.

After visiting these amazing places, I took stroll through the city before we left this morning.  The art littered amongst the walls of building throughout the city was very pretty.  I hope to see more of it as we travel the South Island the remainder of our trip.

5 January 2019

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Introduction

Hello everyone! My name is Jordyn and this January I will be traveling to New Zealand to study and explore the environmental issues there.  I will be updating this blog periodically throughout the trip as it regards to environmental ethics and artwork.  I have previous background in environmental studies as I am Environmental Policy and Analysis major but have very minimal experience with art and none with taking photos with cameras other than on my iPhone.  I am excited to explore the environment of New Zealand and immerse myself in the different scenery compared to the United States and other countries I have traveled to.  Making art in the course should be interesting to say the least as that is not something I typically seek out but I am eager to learn.  My passion for learning and budding sense of artistic creativity will be my driving force for these artworks I create during this trip and I hope to become more aware of my surroundings as they pertain to art, realizing much can become art if taken from a new perspective or lens.  The environmental portion will come to me much easier since I have been studying this interdisciplinary science this past year.  One major environmental issue I expect to see is erosion and pollution due to over tourism of trails and popular areas.  People do not typically realize the impact they have on the environment especially just thinking as an individual  but it shows with the combination of others and lack of self awareness. I hope to strengthen my knowledge of environmental studies by expanding to the ethical and philosophical areas of the subject. Only a few more days until we board our flight to New Zealand!