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
We woke up to what felt like any other day, but slightly somber for our last day out in the field and excited to rock on with our last bit of geology. It was a quick drive to reunite with Darren and his graduate student Liz Bertolett who came along to help us learn about Akaroa Volcanic Complex. After a windy hour and a half drive, we took a short break in the small town of Little Rock for some much-needed coffee and one last take-away brunch. Back in the van, it was another forty-five minutes of meandering tiny mountain roads, much to displeasure of the back third row of the van. When we finally reached Panama Rock and happily piled out of the van, we were greeted with an incredible view of the inside of a cloud! After a short hike to the top with a brief lunch break, we set out to start our last field exercise, but not without our routine stretch lead by Lieutenant Dan. Limbered up, our assignment was to split up into six groups dispersed across the crest of Panama Rock and measure t