NOLS New Zealand is closing up for the season
Today is the last official day for NOLS NZ this season. This American Fall we have had the pleasure of educating a total of 49 students in the backcountry of New Zealand. 3 Semester courses and 2 Backpacking courses. It has been a great season, with a late but beautiful summer.
Our Final harvest from the vege garden
For our final farewell we would like to thank all those who have supported us down here, we couldn't have done it without ya!
Permalink | Posted by Jacqui Berry on Apr 26, 2012 in the following categories: New Zealand
Happy graduation, NZS-4!
Our final semester of the New Zealand season has graduated, and in one more week our branch will be closed for the Austral Winter. Here are the NZS-4 students pictured with their three instructors:
And the final goodbye as the bus leaves the branch:
All the best to our terrific down under students! We miss you already.
Permalink | Posted by Amy Davidson on Apr 21, 2012 in the following categories: New Zealand
Happy graduation, NZS-1 and NZS-2!
Our first two semesters have returned from the field. Their days at the branch were primarily spent cleaning up -- both themselves and their gear. Hot showers, about three dozen loads of laundry, graduation ceremonies and diplomas, goodbye hugs to instructors -- what a way to end the semester. Here are pictures of both groups on their last day at the branch.
NZS-1 -- Nine students plus four instructors, including Andy who dressed up for graduation day
NZS-2 -- Ten students who seemed to have misplaced their instructors for the photo op
Permalink | Posted by Amy Davidson on Apr 11, 2012 in the following categories: New Zealand
Last course of the season for NZ branch
Students on NZS-4 have completed their kayak section and started their sail section. In their kayaks, they paddled into the small town of Havelock, which sits in the Pelorus Sound in Marlborough Sounds. There they met up with their Sailing section instructor team and their sailing vessels. Chieftan and Chinook are two Chieftan-design 38-foot sloop-rigged boats operating out of Waikawa Marina; each will be crewed by five students plus one or two instructors. Here are some photos from the recent switch day in Havelock. This is the last course in the field for our current season.
Excited to have internet access at the campground in Havelock
Saying goodbye to the Kayak instructors
Instructor Sally orients students to Chieftan; that's Chinook in the background
Instructors Cass Colman (from New Zealand), Sally McAdam (from Australia) and Stef van den Hoek (from Australia)
One last photo from the Sea Kayaking section: NZS-4 students with their Kayak instructors
Permalink | Posted by Amy Davidson on Apr 10, 2012 in the following categories: New Zealand
Rerations delivered to the last of the season's hiking courses
Hello and kia ora from NOLS New Zealand! NZS-1 is just a few days from their final pickup and graduation date. Meanwhile, here is a photo from their last reration delivery. This group is hiking in the Ahuriri Conservation Area in the south island's historic Mackenzie Country, a land settled by sheep musterers and farmers. Summer is over so they've had some cold nights and some long days of rain, but in this picture the sky is blue and they're obviously enjoying themselves -- especially instructor Jacqui, that's her jumping in the background.
NZS-2 has completed their Hiking section and has begun their Sail section. We were not able to get a picture from their switch (it's sometimes hard to remember to bring a camera when we're focused on gathering up the food, fuel, gear and other goodies needed at a resupply.) Instead, here is a picture from their last resupply of the hike section. It was a cold day and you can see how bundled up they are. NZS-2 finishes sailing in just a couple days and will then return to the branch in Christchurch for clean-up and graduation.
Those looking for an update on NZS-4: their course switches from Kayaking to Sailing tomorrow. We've packed the camera to bring to the switch and will post an update in a few days. Cheers!
Permalink | Posted by Amy Davidson on Apr 8, 2012 in the following categories: New Zealand
Switcheroos for New Zealand semesters
NZS-4-2/5/2012
Students on NZS-4-2/5/2012 recently transitioned from the Hiking section to their Sea Kayak section. They finished their hike with a long descent from the "tops" (kiwi-speak for alpine areas above treeline) to a campground near the small town of St Arnaud. There they were met by the bus for their transport to Marlborough Sounds, where they will kayak. The (blurry) photo below does not adequately capture their joy at eating the fresh food brought to them by bus driver Daryl; here they are enjoying non-powered-milk, cold yogurt, and juice -- food that wasn't feasible to carry during the backpacking trip.
During the switch students had the chance to shower and do laundry in the facilities provided by New Zealand's Department of Conversation (DOC). They also received mail and had a chance to debrief their section with a supervisor from the branch. Students' highlights from the section included the spectacular scenery; they were less keen on the days of cold rain and brief snow flurries, but proud of themselves for staying safe and positive in those tough conditions.
Now they're off to meet their new I-team and start their new section. They will be paddling with Oscar Manguy and Yuri Hernandez, long-time NOLSies from Baja, Mexico, and a third instructor, Sally McAdam from Melbourne, Australia. As an added bonus, Sally will continue with this student group and also work their Sailing section (which starts April 9).
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NZS-1-1/26/2012
NSZ-1 is now enjoying their final section, backpacking in the Ahuriri Conservation Area (which the route NZS-4, above, just completed). These students were able to return to the branch for their transition from kayaking to hiking--the only semester with a Christchurch-based switch this season. It meant a chance to shower, receive mail and care packages and eat a hot dinner in the dining room prepared by our general assistant Ari. A few of them even found time to jump on the branch computer to connect to the digital world.
The instructor team for the Hike section is another international team. In the picture below, in the back is Andy Clifford (originally from the UK, now a Kiwi), who just completed working the hiking section of NZS-4 above. Like the students, he had only a quick turnaround between sections, most of which he spent working on his US visa so he can work out of NOLS Rocky Mountain this summer. Next in the picture is Jacqui McCracken, a Kiwi who works for NOLS New Zealand as a program supervisor in addition to being a field instructor. The third member of the instructor team is Amy Follett, of Australia, who graduated from the New Zealand Instructor Course last year.
Andy, Jacqui and Amy
Permalink | Posted by Amy Davidson on Mar 21, 2012 in the following categories: New Zealand
New Zealand Backpacking courses graduate
Our two standalone backpacking courses, NZB-1 and NZB-2, have completed their expeditions and graduated.
NZB-1 hiked 28 days in the Ahuriri Conversation Area. Highlights of the course included spectacular scenery, a warm fire at Shamrock Hut and excellent baking. Weather was mixed, with blazing sunshine during the first ration then snow, rain and wind in the later sections. Below NZB-1 is pictured at a reration on Day 9, then on graduation day.
NZB-2 hiked 28 days in Arthurs Pass. During their first ration they were joined by NOLS NZ Equipment Manager Matt (far left, in the green pants, in the picture below). The course saws loads of birds, thanks in part to dedicated birder/instructor Mark, and the highlight was a daytime sighting of the extremely rare kiwi bird. Sweet as! Below NZB-2 is pictured goofing around at a reration, then on graduation day.
Permalink | Posted by Amy Davidson on Mar 19, 2012 in the following categories: New Zealand
NEW ZEALAND BACKPACKING COURSES ARE GO
Currently we have our two New Zealand Backpacking courses in town and getting ready for 27 days of “tramping” (kiwis way of saying hiking). Yesterday they bagged up approx 350kg of food per group, organized their gear and have already had a class on first aid. Today they have been learning river crossing techniques and getting a good understanding of how powerful a river can be. We have them practice these techniques in a controlled environment before they head out so they are familiar with NZ rivers. They will be departing for the trail this afternoon.
NEW ZEALND BACKPACKING 1 (NZB1)
L Asper, T Dinan, S Dooner, B Dunn, G McMorris, C Oliver, S Pope, B Prater, M Roper, E Valentine
NZB1 will be hiking in Ahuriri Conservation Park, containing 49,000 hectares of rugged mountain country, wetlands, tussock lands and beech forest. They will be resupplied with food and fuel twice during the 27 days they will be in the backcountry. Their hiking instructors below have been assisting them during their 2 days in town to prepare.
Tegyn Angel, Pete Higgins and Amy Davidson
NEW ZEALAND BACKPACKING 2 (NZB2)
J Caldwell, L Chow, S Fillinger, G Hill, E O'Sullivan, J Palay, D Smith, N White, C Zeller
NZB2 are starting out in the heart of Arthurs Pass National Park traversing over several ranges making their way north to Lake Sumner, providing a diverse range of terrain. They will be resupplied with food and fuel three times during the 27 days they will be in the backcountry. Below are their hiking instructors, ready to teach them some leadership:
Mark Hamlin and Scott Barksdale
Permalink | Posted by Jacqui Berry on Feb 9, 2012 in the following categories: New Zealand
Third Spring semester underway in New Zealand
NZS-4-02/05/2012 students arrived at the branch in Christchurch yesterday to begin their semester course. Ten students from throughout the US are enrolled, two of whom are NOLS alumni. Students began their in-town briefing days with a huge rations-packing effort; they measured, weighed and bagged hundreds of pounds of food that they will eat over the next 70+ days. Instructor Sean told everyone that their group would be expected to sing two songs (as a group) during the cultural section and the brainstorming began; there were a wide range of suggestions, from some old-school hip hop classics to 'Take me out to the Ball Game' to Talking Heads. In the afternoon, Issue Room Manager Matt helped issue equipment and get gear organized.
Today was their second briefing day, during which the group continued packing and also took part in a river crossing class held at the Waimakiri River. Below is a photo of the group at the "Waimak" (as it's affectionately called). Today is a national holiday in New Zealand (it's Waintangi Day, a celebration of NZ's independence) so there were many recreationists down at the river with us (fishing, riding motorbikes, riding horses, etc).
Tomorrow morning NZS-4 will load the bus and drive north to begin their cultural section. They will visit a Maori marae (meeting house) in the town of Kaikoura. (This is where they'll sing; the selected songs are 'Hey Jude' and 'One Love'.)
NZS-4's first section is Hiking. They'll spend 30 days tramping in the Nelson Lakes region of New Zealand's South Island with their instructors, Hayden Gemmell (of Wellington, New Zealand), Andy Clifford (originally from the UK, now a Kiwi) and Sean Williams (of Portland, OR).
NZS-4 Course Calendar
Cultural: 7 Feb
1 – Hiking: 8 Feb to 13 Mar
Field switch: 13 Mar
2 – Sea Kayaking: 13 Mar to 9 Apr
Field Switch: 9 & 10 Apr
3 – Sailing: 10 Apr to 20 Apr
In town: 20 Apr
Course ends: 21 Apr
Permalink | Posted by Amy Davidson on Feb 5, 2012 in the following categories: New Zealand
NOLS NZ IS BACK IN ACTION!
After a break through the holiday season the NOLS NZ branch is back in action. It is buzzing with energy from a full house of excited staff and students who are ready to kick off and head out on their adventures ahead...
Currently we have our first two Semester groups arrive and prepare for their 75 day expedition…
New Zealand Semester 1 01/26/2012
NZS 1: M Belisle, W Chichester, B Jansen, M Jones, A Lewis, R Malouf, M March, S Mason, M McGinnis, L Zarske.
They are about to head up to Kaikoura where they will be learning about some of New Zealands cultural history and from there heading towards the Clarence river for the canoeing section of their expedition. Below is a photo of their canoeing instructors:
Karen Bruce, Sheldon Lee, Marcelo Silveira and Dale Shaw
Here is an outline of their expedition:
Cultural: 28 Jan
1 – Canoeing: 29 Jan to 21 Feb
Field switch: 21 Feb
2 – Sea Kayaking: 21 Feb to 14 Mar
In town: 14 & 15 Feb
3 – Hiking: 15 Feb to 10 Apr
In town: 10 Apr
Course ends: 11 Apr
New Zealand Semester 2 01/26/2012
NZS 2: S Carlson, M Chase, R Crabtree, J Downing, J Elwell, W Hodde, T Huntington, E Pauken, L Sagatov, J Trousil.
They also are about to head up to Kaikoura, where they will be learning about some of New Zealands cultural history and from there heading towards the Marlborough Sounds for the sea kayaking section of their expedition. Below is a photo of their sea kayaking instructors:
Karin Ochsner, Mike Downs and Was Noles.
Here is an outline of their expedition:
Cultural: 28 Jan
1 – Sea Kayaking: 29 Jan to 28 Feb
Field switch: 28 Feb
2 – Hiking: 28 Feb to 30 Mar
Field Switch: 30 & 31 Mar
3 – Sailing: 31 Mar to 10 Apr
In town: 10 Apr
Course ends: 11 Apr
We wish our first two Semester groups good luck on their journey. Within the first 24 hours they have already experienced New Zealand's classic weather patterns from a blistering hot nor-west system to a wet n wild southerly leaving snow on the mountains. Welcome to summer in New Zealand!
Permalink | Posted by Jacqui Berry on Jan 26, 2012 in the following categories: New Zealand
