Rocks and Sea and Oamaru

This week, the annual Geological Society of New Zealand conference occurred in Oamaru, a quaint town on the East coast of Otago in the Southern South Island. It is famous for little blue penguins and Oamaru limestone, a creamy limestone perfect for buildings and sculptures. The Oamaru opera house here was the conference venue, and instead of sopranos and tenors, we were serenaded by some of the best geologists in the world. I didn't sing, fortunately; I presented a poster on my experiments at the University of Canterbury. Next year, hopefully I will be singing about successful experiments!



Besides beautiful architecture in local stone, we were treated to gorgeous late spring weather, and the beach and harbour looked resplendent.




We (being keen geologists) spent Wednesday "in the field" looking at deformed rocks that may represent an ancient earthquake swarm. I won't bore you with the details of fracture fluid meshes, but I will say the day ended with a lovely BBQ at the Burnside Homestead here, a homestead built by New Zealand pioneers in the 1860's. Oamaru takes its Victorian heritage very seriously, and everywhere people were dressed in vintage clothes re-enacting daily life in the 1860s-1900s. The BBQ was Victorian as well, with lovely cottage gardens, plenty of meat smoked on an open fire, and after dusk campfire stories.







As wonderful as the scenery was, by far the best part was the spirit of comradeship that pervaded the venue. Rather than being competitive, NZ geologists are genuinely keen to advance science and help others. I had many people offer to help me with analyses, talk to me about my experiments, and suggest future research opportunities. I especially enjoyed meeting the Mum Geologists with their babies (warmly welcomed) and soon-to-be babies. Maybe the spirit of the landscape imbues people here with generosity and goodwill, or maybe it's something else altogether. I only know that I am fortunate to live here.

Scenes of Splendour II and III

Because I love these photos, here's one of Lake Wakatipu and Queenstown taken by James from the top of Ben Lomand. The other photo is of our Christmas Eve at the head of Lake Pukaki in Mt Cook National Park. Mt Cook is the tallest mountain in New Zealand, rising to 12,316 ft (3754 m). Nothing like camping at Christmas!

Scenes of Splendour I

Readers of this blog might have quickly noticed a trend in my photos. I love showing off my country. For those who have never visited New Zealand, words can't really describe its scenery. This panorama was taken by James when he and our good friend Tracy climbed the Remarkables above Lake Wakatipu and Queenstown. To Tracy... Congratulations on your many successes, summits, and new baby. This photo is for you, and the parcel is in the post.

Summer at Sumner

Summer has officially started in Christchurch. Last week was New Zealand Cup and Show week in Christchurch, a huge week-long festival centred around Canterbury Anniversay Day, a public holiday. See the festivities at NZ Cup and Show. Christchurch hosts the NZ trotting cup at Addington Raceway, the NZ galloping cup at Riccarton Raceway, and the Royal New Zealand A&P Show... a huge fairground full of the best Agriculture and Produce grown in New Zealand, as well as food stalls, rides, tractors, harvesters, sheep shearing contests, dog trials, etc.

We celebrated Cup and Show week in style too, starting with the sound of horses' thundering hooves at a Riccarton Raceway gallop, followed by a manic tie-dye t-shirt party on Monday and finishing with a trip to our favourite local beach, Sumner Beach. I have posted some pictures of our beach trip, the highlight for me. I love Sumner Beach, with its dogs-allowed policy, rock pools, sailboats, spectacular cliffs of volcanic rock, and heaps of happy dogs, children and people. It is simply impossible to be unhappy at Sumner Beach, surrounded by beauty and covered by a clear blue sky. I would post some pictures of James painting the shed and me gardening, but that just isn't as fun :-)