Field trip preparation
As weather conditions in New Zealand can change quickly, please come prepared with the following items to ensure your comfort and safety:
• Footwear: Please wear sturdy walking shoes or hiking boots. Some trips involve uneven terrain or bush tracks that may be damp or slippery.
• Clothing: Wear layered clothing to prepare for hot and/or cold weather, include a warm jacket or sweater.
• Rain protection: Bring a waterproof jacket (even if it is forecast to be sunny)
• Sun protection: Bring sunscreen, a sun hat, and sunglasses. The New Zealand sun is very strong, even on overcast days.
• Insect repellent: We may encounter biting sandflies or mosquitoes.
• Food and water: Lunch, light snacks and water are provided. Please bring a refillable bottle and any additional snacks you may like for the trip.
• Small bag: A backpack to carry your items.
• Personal medications if necessary
• Field trip 1 Western Bay of Plenty & Hobbiton– there is a section of a walk which includes dark tunnels (weather dependent). The use of a torch is necessary. You may wish to bring a torch/headlamp or simply use the torch function on your phone to assist you walking through this section
• Field Trip 2 Waikato, Weeds & Waitomo– Waitomo Caves operate cash-free, please bring a credit/debit/eftpos card or device with Apple or Google Pay if you want to purchase espresso coffee or pursue the gift store.
• Field Trip 4 Rotorua Lakes & Geothermal Hot Pools (optional add-on only)- Swimming gear/towel
• Field Trip 5 Mt Tarawera– there is an optional walk which requires a moderate level of fitness and some comfortability with heights
Biosecurity: “Check, Clean, Dry”
New Zealand has strict biosecurity entry requirements you will likely experience upon arrival. As a community dedicated to biocontrol, we want to lead by example. Please ensure your footwear and gear are thoroughly cleaned and free of soil or seeds before you arrive. This is vital to help protect our local environment from the spread of pests.
Schedule & Departure
All field trips meet at the Millenium Hotel Foyer. General field trip timetable including departure location and start, and finish times can be found under the Wednesday tab of the timetable. Go to timetable>>
If you have any specific dietary requirements for the provided lunch that you have not already notified us of, mobility concerns, or general field trips related questions please contact McGrathz@landcareresearch.co.nz as soon as possible.
Field trips
1. Western Bay of Plenty & Hobbiton
We will head to Waihi where we travel back in time and enjoy a ride on a heritage train with Goldfields Railway. Journey from Waihi to Waikino at the eastern end of the spectacular Karangahake Gorge and soak in the New Zealand countryside.
In the afternoon, we’ll have the opportunity to enjoy the Karangahake Gorge’s rich natural beauty and historic gold mining relics. A guided walk will take us past disused mining tunnels, swing bridges, and scenic river views, offering a glimpse into New Zealand’s gold rush past.
Along the way, we’ll turn our attention to invasive plant species that threaten the native flora including Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) and Tradescantia (Tradescantia fluminensis). We’ll discuss their impact on the ecosystem and learn about the biocontrol agents introduced to help manage them.
The last stop for the day is at Hobbiton where you will enjoy a tour of the movie set from the Lord of the Rings franchise followed by dinner on site.
Disclaimer- this trip will incur additional costs for the train ride and Lord of the Rings tour & dinner.
Please arrive at least 15 minutes before the scheduled departure time to collect your packed lunch and assemble in your assigned field trip group.
2. Waikato, Weeds & Waitomo
Enjoy a day of exploration through the Waikato province. There will be stops along the way to see beautiful scenery and hear about invasive weeds and biocontrol agents.
We will stop for an extended lunch at the Waitomo Café. Waitomo Glowworm Cave tours are now unavailable to new registrants. You are welcome to just relax at the café and socialise. We will then visit the scenic Te Waihou blue springs. The last stop for the day is at Hobbiton where you will enjoy a tour of the movie set from the Lord of the Rings franchise followed by dinner on site.
Disclaimer- this trip will incur additional costs for Waitomo Caves glowworm tour and Lord of the Rings tour & dinner. Waitomo Cave tours are now fully booked and unavailable to late registrants, the rest of the tour is still available.
Please arrive at least 15 minutes before the scheduled departure time and assemble in your assigned field trip group. Lunch at Waitomo will be after 1pm so we recommend you bring snacks if needed.
3. Tongariro National Park – UNESCO World Heritage Site
We will head to the stunning Tongariro National Park, which was the first site in the world to be inscribed on the World Heritage list describing cultural landscapes. The three mountains at the heart of this park have strong cultural significance to the Māori people and symbolize the spiritual links between this community and its environment.
We will learn about heather (Calluna vulgaris), which has been invading this National Park for over 100 years, and the heather beetle which was released to target this invasive weed. In recent years heather beetle outbreaks have caused spectacular damage to wide areas of heather in this area.
En route to and from Tongariro National Park we will travel past the picturesque Great Lake Taupō, which is the largest lake in New Zealand. Stopping to visit a community-led environmental restoration project that is controlling a range of pest plants by a range of methods and replanting native species. We will also visit a geothermal site to learn about the rare native plants that grow in this hostile environment, and pest plants which are negatively impacting these sites and how they are being managed.
Please arrive at least 15 minutes before the scheduled departure time to collect your packed lunch and assemble in your assigned field trip group.
4. Rotorua Lakes & Geothermal Hot Pools
We will head to picturesque Lake Tarawera to view one of the worst infestations of invasive old man’s beard (Clematis vitalba) in the Bay of Plenty region. Biocontrol agents released to control this weed and their impact to date will be discussed. Other pest plants and related biocontrol agents found here including Japanese honeysuckle and (Lonicera japonica) and tradescantia (Tradescantia fluminensis) will also be discussed. A community-led restoration project will be visited, which offers views across the lake to Mount Tarawera which erupted in 1886.
Next stop is Lake Rotoiti for a scenic boat cruise. Invasive catfish biocontrol attempts and options will be discussed, along with the suite of submerged aquatic weeds found in the Rotorua lakes. Control options for these invasive species will be discussed, including the innovative hand-woven uwhi mat trial, which is a joint venture with a local Māori organization. The aim of this trial is to smother invasive aquatic weeds in this lake.
Final stop will be the Lake Rotoiti geothermal hot pools which are only accessible by boat, for a relaxing soak. Those not wanting to visit the hot pools will have alternative options available.
Disclaimer- this trip will incur additional costs for the boat cruise and hot pools.
Please arrive at least 15 minutes before the scheduled departure time to collect your packed lunch and assemble in your assigned field trip group.
5. Forestry Weeds & Mount Tarawera
Experience the history and unique landscape that is Mount Tarawera. This mountain erupted on June 10th, 1886, and destroyed New Zealand’s “wonder of the world” at the time – the legendary Pink and White Terraces but left behind a stunning geothermal landscape.
We will meet local guides and split up into 4WD vehicles and enter commercial pine forests. The guides will share the challenging experience of keeping wilding Pinus contorta from reinvading the volcanic cone. P. contorta are no longer grown commercially in New Zealand but the unwelcome legacy from their early trials in New Zealand forests remains within the soil seed bank. You will experience a P. radiata (native to California, USA) forest and view heather (Calluna vulgaris) infestations. If the weather permits, we will journey up Mount Tarawera to the crater edge with its 360° panoramic views and unmatched scenic vistas and you will learn about the history of the area. It is ideal for all ages and includes an optional scree run down into the heart of the volcanic crater for those with tough footwear and a sense of adventure! This experience is weather dependent. In the rain some views maybe compromised, and we will not hike the crater in high winds.
In the afternoon we will drive through Kaingaroa Forest (largest plantation forest in the southern hemisphere) where we will see the competition that newly planted Pinus radiata trees face against weeds including buddleia (Buddleja davidii), pampas (Cortaderia spp.), Himalayan honeysuckle (Leycesteria formosa) and blackberry (Rubus fruticosus agg.), and learn about the success of the weevil released against buddleia weed and the gall mite against the rampant Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius).
Wet weather/ high wind Option:
A tour of Scion – the NZ Forest Research Institute and Invertebrate Containment facility tour, Rotorua. Coffee or tea can be purchased in the café there before we leave for Kaingaroa Forest weeds drive where we will see the competition that newly planted P. radiata trees face against weeds including buddleia, pampas, Himalayan honeysuckle and blackberry, and learn about the success of the buddleia biocontrol programme and the broom gall mite infestation.
In the afternoon our vehicles will stop at a geothermal mud pool for a free photo opportunity and up-close view of blackberry Infestations, particularly challenging in the geothermal environment.
This trip is fully booked now and unavailable to late registrants.
Please arrive at least 15 minutes before the scheduled departure time to collect your packed lunch and assemble in your assigned field trip group.
