(Originally from March 18th-21st)
The morning after our Franz Josef Glacier hike, we desperately wanted to sleep in, and we did, and it was wonderful. Our time in Franz Josef was the perfect mix of total relaxation and exciting experiences, which has made it one of my favorite places we've visited so far. This day continued in that vein! After our leisurely morning, we went our separate ways in the afternoon. Jordan and Kara went off to do some walks in the Okarito Lagoon, which they will tell you all about: Jordan says, after we finished our lunch and split up for activities, Kara and I lazed a bit more until we headed out to the Okarito Lagoon in the rainy afternoon. We just wanted to get out of the hostel for a bit, and we had no great expectations for the walks in the area. The sun was breaking through as we arrived, and the rain did not start up again until we got back to the car. The town of Okarito ended up being a very nice looking small community, and we had no idea that we would be in for a special treat on our stroll.
Kara and I have been really fascinated by the endemic wildlife here in New Zealand, and we've been trying to learn as much as we can about it.
New Zealand was largely untouched as an island until very late in human history- the first settlers were the Maori, who came in around the 13th century. For comparison, this was well into the Middle Ages in Europe. This allowed thousands of endemic species to grow unbothered which, like with the Galapagos Islands, led to some really interesting creatures. In the case of New Zealand, there are no native mammals (except some tiny bats) which has let the birds really shine and grow in unique ways. One of the first to go was the Moa, a huge ostrich-like bird that the Maori hunted to extinction. We saw a Moa skeleton in Auckland. HUGE. |
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October 2015
AuthorsLizzy, Kara, and Jordan are spending a year traveling and working in New Zealand. Share our adventures and keep in touch! Categories
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