Travel February-March 2019
Until the volunteering opportunity in Australia came up this was actually the only travel I was expecting to do...!
From Februrary through March, I will be on a birding tour in New Zealand, commencing in Christchurch. I'm thinking of spending a few extra days (or more?) in Christchurch to appreciate the non-bird fauna, as well as flora. I'm interested in about everything, particularly dragonflies, butterflies, plants, snails...but not excluding fungi, and other things. If you have a blacklight setup for moths, that's of particular interest too. My focus will be on native species.
If anyone from the area can advise on locations accessible with public transport, or if you want to schedule a meetup or two, now is your chance! This will be my first time in NZ. If you show up and say "hey, we can go on an expedition to the mountains for a week", I wouldn't say no either!
Apologies for the group tag -- if you know anyone else who might be interested/want to help, feel free to let them know...
@jon_sullivan @meurkc @joepb @grahame @reinderw @katemccombs @melissa_hutchison @suemcgaw @alice_shanks @cooperj @steveattwood @quanwei @ecoman @jennysaito @shona_t @trevor_partridge @crellow @gregs @koofen @jacobl
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That's great! It will be fantastic to have you in Christchurch. Do you need a place to stay? We have a self contained sleepout at the back of my place that you'd be welcome to use.
If you can let us know exactly what dates you'll likely be in Christchurch, I'm sure a group of us can hatch a cunning plan for an excursion.
Hi @jon_sullivan if all goes to plan (no reason to doubt it won't), then I'll be in Christchurch on the (edit: 4th March), around midday or so. I have not planned any accommodation yet so if you have somewhere, let me know the details. Cheers!
@silversea_starsong That sounds good. I'll put the order in for good weather. ;-)
Here's where I am: https://inaturalist.nz/observations?nelat=-43.57951105346924&nelng=172.63358447874134&place_id=any&swlat=-43.580045387544864&swlng=172.63249650770967&taxon_id=48460 (123a Dyers Pass Road, on the doorstep of Victoria Park and the Port Hills reserves, and near a bus stop to get into the city centre.)
I've put you in my calendar to make sure that our sleepout is free for you to use that week.
Hopefully Jon will be organising a NatureWatch catchup for Chch people soon.
I'd be keen for an excursion!
Just a heads up that I'll have 1 day in Auckland as well, on the 11th February. So if anyone there is interested in a meetup as well for a day to visit the local natural spots of interest, that'll be great.
I have been eyeing that bioluminescent limpet posted recently :)
In Christchurch this might be a good target: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/941070
Is there anyone near Christchurch with a blacklight setup that is interested in a night or two of moths?
My workmate Brian Patrick (@butterfly4 ) is a lepidoptera expert and is very enthusiastic so get in touch with him. His email is brian.patrick@wildlands.co.nz. Just say that Melissa gave you his contact details.
Thanks for that link!
I just received the final schedule which has shifted some days (notably, finishing a week earlier). My plans are now as follows:
10th February -- arrive in Auckland in the evening.
11th February -- free day.
12th February -- meet up with tour group.
4th March -- arrive in Christchurch and finish tour.
I don't expect to spend much more than a week in Christchurch but I can extend it a bit if something is planned.
I'll be arriving in Christchurch tomorrow afternoon, and will be there for a week. Hope to see some faces at some point.
I just saw Brian Patrick today and he said that he was meeting up with a guy from the US - must be you I guess! There is a botanical society talk tonight and Brian was thinking of coming so might see you there!
James is in our sleepout now. It would be great to have you guys connect.
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