This morning around 7:00, I woke up and took a shower, then quickly got ready to go find the shuttle bus that was to take us to Quail Island, via Lyttleton Harbor.
I made it just in time to the bus, since I had to stop at an ATM to get some cash, just in case I needed it. The five other AustraLearn students and I were met at the shuttle by one of the
Otumahua/Quail Island Restoration Trust workers, Colin Burrows. He's a man of about 75 and he's a complete genius. We boarded the black Diamond Ferry at 9:20 am for Otumahua (the Maori name for Quail Island) and were there by 9:30. The ride itself was a lot of fun and we
were at an interesting vantage point, as we were surrounded almost entirely by mountains and hillsides. Upon arrival, we met the other trust worker, John Watson. He's about ten years younger than Colin, but extraordinarily agile. Both are crazy scientists/environmental researchers and Colin has published quite a few books relating to the environment. We hiked about ten minutes uphill to get to the lodge that we would call home for the next three days. This lodge is by far the smallest dwelling I have ever
inhabited, save a tent. When you walk in, you are in the kitchen/dining/common room, then you walk through that to get to the bunk room and toilet. Despite it's size, it is a very functional space. After tea, we went to work. Our first order of business was to walk a few minutes uphill to the workshop and cut up carpet remnants, so that they could be used as a mulch of sorts. We did that for a few hours, and by the end, we were feeling it in our hands. Around noon, we went back to the lodge to have some lunch, then w
ent back to work. This time we were on the south side of the island, removing non-native trees and weeds. It's grunt work, but somebody has to do it. After a few hours of that, we went back to the lodge for supper. Since we had no electronic distractions, we made use of the art of conversation, which was a welcome relief from the days work. We all filed in to bed fairly early, so that we can get up to work tomorrow.
I made it just in time to the bus, since I had to stop at an ATM to get some cash, just in case I needed it. The five other AustraLearn students and I were met at the shuttle by one of the Otumahua/Quail Island Restoration Trust workers, Colin Burrows. He's a man of about 75 and he's a complete genius. We boarded the black Diamond Ferry at 9:20 am for Otumahua (the Maori name for Quail Island) and were there by 9:30. The ride itself was a lot of fun and we 
were at an interesting vantage point, as we were surrounded almost entirely by mountains and hillsides. Upon arrival, we met the other trust worker, John Watson. He's about ten years younger than Colin, but extraordinarily agile. Both are crazy scientists/environmental researchers and Colin has published quite a few books relating to the environment. We hiked about ten minutes uphill to get to the lodge that we would call home for the next three days. This lodge is by far the smallest dwelling I have ever 
inhabited, save a tent. When you walk in, you are in the kitchen/dining/common room, then you walk through that to get to the bunk room and toilet. Despite it's size, it is a very functional space. After tea, we went to work. Our first order of business was to walk a few minutes uphill to the workshop and cut up carpet remnants, so that they could be used as a mulch of sorts. We did that for a few hours, and by the end, we were feeling it in our hands. Around noon, we went back to the lodge to have some lunch, then w
ent back to work. This time we were on the south side of the island, removing non-native trees and weeds. It's grunt work, but somebody has to do it. After a few hours of that, we went back to the lodge for supper. Since we had no electronic distractions, we made use of the art of conversation, which was a welcome relief from the days work. We all filed in to bed fairly early, so that we can get up to work tomorrow.
2 comments:
Sounds fun! I'm glad your having fun! No electronics!? I seriously doubt I could function!
-Michelle
Interesting to know.
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