Wairarapa trip leaves good memories

The sunset went down behind the mountains. We finished the trip to the Wairarapa and returned to Wellington. I had different feelings with each place we visited. All left good memories.

 

On the first day, the weather was so bad. It was raining all day. It took two hours from Wellington to Wairarapa by train and bus. After that, we visited the Taxidermy museum created by John and Karen McCosh. John, a leading expert professional taxidermist has created a unique collection of mounted animals and birds. Lions, a snow white wolf, a tiger, water buffalo, an amazing assortment of other animals, birds, insects and even rocks are displayed in a special museum that is part of Kahutara Canoes. The log building that houses the taxidermy museum was completed in 1984. It is one of the first log buildings in New Zealand, and only the third in the Wairarapa.

John told about the history of the museum and the process by which he collected animals from all over the world. We were astonished at all we saw. He told us that whenever people informed him that they had dead animals, he would come and buy them in order to stuff them and display them. He showed us how he first makes a polystyrene model in the natural shape of the animals. Visitors, students and other people come here to see animals that they have never seen before. It seemed likely that he could not stop talking enthusiastically about his job. From my standpoint, all the things that he did were not only for his hobby, but also for the conservation of nature.

 

On the second day, the weather was so beautiful with sunshine. That was a good opportunity for us to visit other places in Wairarapa. In the morning, we tramped in the Tararua Forest Park. The name Tararua came from a story of Rangikaikore who was an ancestor of the Wairarapa people who broke his spear when hunting. Our guide, Chris Peterson was a local person. Although he seemed much older than us, he ran so quickly. In the forest, we melted into the natural world. It is an extraordinarily beautiful area. We enjoyed the spectacular views of the surrounding mountains and valleys, superb virgin native bush alongside a crystal clear river. We were enveloped in the peace and tranquillity. At times I could hear the sound of the water from the stream. It blended in with the sound of birdsongs. All created a marvellous picture. At the end of the tramping, we discovered a suspended bridge over the stream. That was adventurous and produced really extreme feelings. I felt smaller when I was faced with such majestic mountain scenery.

 

In the afternoon, we visited the Pauaworld and watched a documentary film on the life cycle and production of the paua shell. Shell jewellery, beads and products - Paua, Pink Mussel and Mother of Pearl - are manufactured in the factory situated in Carterton which is in the heart of the beautiful Wairarapa.. Each paua shell is unique and truly one of nature's marvels. There are three types of Paua: Paua Haliotis Iris, Silver Paua - Haliotis Australis: Virgin Paua - Haliotis Virginea. The fishermen dive into the sea and catch paua at depths of 1 – 10 meters . The paua can be found around most of the NZ rocky shorelines. However, the larger and finer specimens are found in the cold waters around Stewart Island and Southland. Before they sell the paua to the companies, they divide it into two groups. The large size (at least 125 mm in length), the fishermen keep and sell to the companies. If the paua is under 125 mm, the fishermen release them into the sea which is good for environmental protection and sustainable development. We admired the beauty of the paua shell. The exploitation of the natural world brings benefits to human. However, the natural resources were not unlimited. If we exhaust the natural resources in order to develop the economy, the natural resources will decline and become extinct.

 

On the third day, we visited the Pukaha Mount Bruce Sanctuary which has been officially protected since1889. The purpose of maintaining the conservation area is to create a safe place for protecting the wildlife. Moreover, the nature reserve is a place which helps the local people and visitors understand about the native birds and plants of New Zealand. Before this trip, I visited the Zealandia sanctuary. One lesson learnt after each trip is you know what are the native birds, plants in New Zealand and how to protect them. It seems a simple thing, however, it is not easy to do in many countries. I am certain that children and adults have a lot of knowledge about the natural resources in New Zealand. I have been in New Zealand for 3 months and I know that New Zealand has many native species such as kiwi, hihi, tui, bats, eels, tuatara. Experiences which I gained on each trip are very useful for me.

 

On the last day of the field trip, we had a chance to talk with a farming couple, Miriam and Richard Williams who own an alpaca farm. They have 17 alpacas. Alpaca is the name of the animal which was imported from South America. In recent years, more and more New Zealand farms are raising alpacas instead of sheep. Actually, the sheep still is the main farm animal in New Zealand. However, the alpacas bring benefits to the farmers and are easy to look after. The price of one kilo of alpaca wool fluctuates from $ 50 - $ 70. The alpaca wool is much softer than sheep wool. One difficult thing is the cost of buying alpaca animals is expensive. The farmers have to pay more than $ 100,500 per one male, and more than $ 600 for one female If farmers want to have a baby alpaca, they have to rent a male from another farm at a price of $ 750 per one time. There is some potential risk because the farmers cannot predict whether the alpaca female will get pregnant or not. When we talked with the farmer, we saw his love of his farm. This activity of creating many new products has brought many benefits to individual farmers and the whole New Zealand economy.

At the end of the trip, we were preoccupied with the perfume of the lavender flower. The lavender perfume made us feel relaxed. The manager of the lavender farm shared with us some experiences and showed us the way they produce lavender essential oil and other products. They harvest the lavender flower once per year. A half of the total lavender quantity, they sell to a company which produces essential oil and lavender water. The waste from the production processing is made into compost. The production is environmentally sound .

 

The more places we went, the more knowledge we gained. I love the trips. The journeys brought me new experiences, friends. The most important thing was I learnt the local people’s the love of the natural world in the places where I passed. You and all of us are part of the environment and protecting it means we are also protecting ourselves and future generations. Small, individual efforts replicated across a community can equal massive change.