Sydney –
I have loved studying geology in classes at Vanderbilt, but for me, glaciers, volcanoes, and earthquakes have largely been confined to the pages of a textbook. But a textbook can't capture the smell of sulfur from an active volcano on White Island, the sight (and taste) of glaciers in the shadow of the Southern Alps, or the feeling of standing in a fault left by an earthquake. Aside from being just amazingly beautiful, this trip was an extremely inspiring experience - it was incredible to piece together the fascinating history encoded by this breathtaking place.
If I had to attempt the difficult task of choosing a favorite experience from this trip, it would have to be our trip to the active volcano on White Island. Between the incredible knowledge that you were standing on an active volcano, the billowing fumes smelling of sulfur, and the ferry ride compete with sightings of seals and flying fish, this day was hard to beat. But in general, I loved how in New Zealand, each geological wonder was only a short, gorgeous drive away. My breath was taken away more times than I can count in this country (both by the indescribable views and by the many, many stairs), and I hope that someday my travels will take me back to this amazing country.
Liam –
New Zealand is the bomb, man. Beautiful country, beautiful people, beautifulness embodied. It's hard for me to pick a favorite moment because I've been living the dream the whole time. I went from Hobbiton to Mount Doom. I learned a lot about the earth and how change over time creates breathless landscapes. If you had told me a year ago that I'd be studying geology in New Zealand I would've called you crazy, man. I went from knowing nothing about geology to knowing a little more and a little more and a little more each day, so much so that I think I appreciate this beautiful earth more than I ever have. The group was awesome, and really helped in helping me have one of the most fun experiences of my life. If I had to pick favorites, I'd say that sitting on the slopes of Ruapehu near Snowline at night and looking up at the stars was one of the most peaceful moments of my life, and Mangatepopo mapping day was one of the most wild. Every day was an adventure, and I love adventures. Life is full of adventures, you just got to be willing to learn geology to make some happen. Party on, dudes, and when in doubt, it's Taupo.
Melanie –
I had such an incredible month! I loved meeting new people, learning geology and exploring a new country. Spending time with the group was so much fun and I am so grateful for all of the people I met. One of my favorite parts of the trip was making connections between geology and other parts of my life. Before this trip, I never would have imagined how much geology is interwoven into our lives every day. It's given me a new appreciation for our earth and how powerful it is. Overall, this month was a 10/10 and I'm so happy I got to have this experience!
Maddy –
There are a million things I loved about this trip - countless new favorite memories, 10 new unbelievably incredible and hilarious Vandy friends, and a much broader understanding of the geological processes at work in New Zealand and around the world. If I wrote everything here it would be a novel so I'll just explain a couple of my favorite geological aspects of the trip. All of them relate to using geologic observations to piece together the past, and then going through the process of actually trying to wrap my mind around the scale of certain events. First was seeing the different deposits and signs of the Taupo eruption - being 35 kilometers away from the source of the eruption and still having flow deposits that are meters high - and imagining that flow actually traveling over the Earth, scorching everything in its path - that's just mind blowing. Later in the trip on South Island, we explored the glaciers in Mount Cook/ Aoraki National Park and at one point we were standing on this super high moraine (75 meters high), and I realized that the glacier had to be that higher or higher and fill the entire valley to the other edge of moraines and it was just so hard to fathom how much ice had been where I was standing and how far it extended and how everything I was seeing had been shaped by this massive accumulation and flow of ice. It's just incredible. Besides being amazed by all the geologic events New Zealand has experienced, I've had the most fun month of probably my entire life. Every person on this trip brought something exciting and different to the group and I couldn't have asked for a more wonderful group of people to spend 26 days with - whether it was bungee jumping from the world’s first bungee, having fam dinners at Capizzi, exploring several towns and countless landscapes, racing down mountains on a luge, Tim-tam slamming, looking up at the Milky Way, or getting to know every persons music taste on our many road trips. Love this crew & I'm very glad that the adventures don't end here.
Reid –
Looking back on the past month, this trip has really been amazing. Traveling all over New Zealand, hiking and exploring, has been nothing short of incredible. From roadside outcrops, to a volcanic island, to glacial moraines, the geology and the views have been astounding. Looking at all the incredible views was so much more satisfying with the knowledge that Guil, Lydia, Dan, and all the other guests taught us along the way. Knowing the geology and the processes that went into shaping these incredible landscapes made me appreciate them all the more, and now have me look for them and point them out even when we aren’t spending our time learning. But apart from the breathtaking views and hikes (sometimes quite literally), it was also the people that made this trip as memorable as it is. Bonding with everyone here from Vanderbilt and meeting and learning about the lives and stories of all the local people we’ve run into along the way has made me feel like I’ve really experienced some of the best New Zealand has to offer. It’s hard to believe the month is just about over and that I’ll have to be returning to the real world again. I’ll certainly never forget this amazing experience, and all the people and places that made it truly one of a kind.
Nora –
This has been an incredible month of traveling New Zealand with the best group of people. We have been able to see an amazing range of geologic features, a range of weather conditions that should not be possible in one month, and try a ~range~ of Thai restaurants across New Zealand. Getting to spend so much time with our instructors, and the guests that taught us so much in each of their areas of expertise, has made this the most unusual and rewarding class I've ever taken. I loved the variety of assignments and activities, and my favorites were mapping surface geomorphology and getting to see faults near Kaikoura. The whole group of students has gotten so close from our many shared snacks, the gradually more compact living quarters, and hours spent bonding on road trips. I know I will remember this month forever!
I have loved studying geology in classes at Vanderbilt, but for me, glaciers, volcanoes, and earthquakes have largely been confined to the pages of a textbook. But a textbook can't capture the smell of sulfur from an active volcano on White Island, the sight (and taste) of glaciers in the shadow of the Southern Alps, or the feeling of standing in a fault left by an earthquake. Aside from being just amazingly beautiful, this trip was an extremely inspiring experience - it was incredible to piece together the fascinating history encoded by this breathtaking place.
If I had to attempt the difficult task of choosing a favorite experience from this trip, it would have to be our trip to the active volcano on White Island. Between the incredible knowledge that you were standing on an active volcano, the billowing fumes smelling of sulfur, and the ferry ride compete with sightings of seals and flying fish, this day was hard to beat. But in general, I loved how in New Zealand, each geological wonder was only a short, gorgeous drive away. My breath was taken away more times than I can count in this country (both by the indescribable views and by the many, many stairs), and I hope that someday my travels will take me back to this amazing country.
Liam –
New Zealand is the bomb, man. Beautiful country, beautiful people, beautifulness embodied. It's hard for me to pick a favorite moment because I've been living the dream the whole time. I went from Hobbiton to Mount Doom. I learned a lot about the earth and how change over time creates breathless landscapes. If you had told me a year ago that I'd be studying geology in New Zealand I would've called you crazy, man. I went from knowing nothing about geology to knowing a little more and a little more and a little more each day, so much so that I think I appreciate this beautiful earth more than I ever have. The group was awesome, and really helped in helping me have one of the most fun experiences of my life. If I had to pick favorites, I'd say that sitting on the slopes of Ruapehu near Snowline at night and looking up at the stars was one of the most peaceful moments of my life, and Mangatepopo mapping day was one of the most wild. Every day was an adventure, and I love adventures. Life is full of adventures, you just got to be willing to learn geology to make some happen. Party on, dudes, and when in doubt, it's Taupo.
Melanie –
I had such an incredible month! I loved meeting new people, learning geology and exploring a new country. Spending time with the group was so much fun and I am so grateful for all of the people I met. One of my favorite parts of the trip was making connections between geology and other parts of my life. Before this trip, I never would have imagined how much geology is interwoven into our lives every day. It's given me a new appreciation for our earth and how powerful it is. Overall, this month was a 10/10 and I'm so happy I got to have this experience!
Maddy –
There are a million things I loved about this trip - countless new favorite memories, 10 new unbelievably incredible and hilarious Vandy friends, and a much broader understanding of the geological processes at work in New Zealand and around the world. If I wrote everything here it would be a novel so I'll just explain a couple of my favorite geological aspects of the trip. All of them relate to using geologic observations to piece together the past, and then going through the process of actually trying to wrap my mind around the scale of certain events. First was seeing the different deposits and signs of the Taupo eruption - being 35 kilometers away from the source of the eruption and still having flow deposits that are meters high - and imagining that flow actually traveling over the Earth, scorching everything in its path - that's just mind blowing. Later in the trip on South Island, we explored the glaciers in Mount Cook/ Aoraki National Park and at one point we were standing on this super high moraine (75 meters high), and I realized that the glacier had to be that higher or higher and fill the entire valley to the other edge of moraines and it was just so hard to fathom how much ice had been where I was standing and how far it extended and how everything I was seeing had been shaped by this massive accumulation and flow of ice. It's just incredible. Besides being amazed by all the geologic events New Zealand has experienced, I've had the most fun month of probably my entire life. Every person on this trip brought something exciting and different to the group and I couldn't have asked for a more wonderful group of people to spend 26 days with - whether it was bungee jumping from the world’s first bungee, having fam dinners at Capizzi, exploring several towns and countless landscapes, racing down mountains on a luge, Tim-tam slamming, looking up at the Milky Way, or getting to know every persons music taste on our many road trips. Love this crew & I'm very glad that the adventures don't end here.
Reid –
Looking back on the past month, this trip has really been amazing. Traveling all over New Zealand, hiking and exploring, has been nothing short of incredible. From roadside outcrops, to a volcanic island, to glacial moraines, the geology and the views have been astounding. Looking at all the incredible views was so much more satisfying with the knowledge that Guil, Lydia, Dan, and all the other guests taught us along the way. Knowing the geology and the processes that went into shaping these incredible landscapes made me appreciate them all the more, and now have me look for them and point them out even when we aren’t spending our time learning. But apart from the breathtaking views and hikes (sometimes quite literally), it was also the people that made this trip as memorable as it is. Bonding with everyone here from Vanderbilt and meeting and learning about the lives and stories of all the local people we’ve run into along the way has made me feel like I’ve really experienced some of the best New Zealand has to offer. It’s hard to believe the month is just about over and that I’ll have to be returning to the real world again. I’ll certainly never forget this amazing experience, and all the people and places that made it truly one of a kind.
Nora –
This has been an incredible month of traveling New Zealand with the best group of people. We have been able to see an amazing range of geologic features, a range of weather conditions that should not be possible in one month, and try a ~range~ of Thai restaurants across New Zealand. Getting to spend so much time with our instructors, and the guests that taught us so much in each of their areas of expertise, has made this the most unusual and rewarding class I've ever taken. I loved the variety of assignments and activities, and my favorites were mapping surface geomorphology and getting to see faults near Kaikoura. The whole group of students has gotten so close from our many shared snacks, the gradually more compact living quarters, and hours spent bonding on road trips. I know I will remember this month forever!
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