The Journey

In the 1980s, the American great Journey told us not to stop believing; for these few weeks in beautiful New Zealand, a group of young world geologists has been taking this message and running with it. With local experts like Colin Wilson, Ian Smith, and Darren Gravley leading our eyes and minds across outcrops, we have all be inspired to consider the drastically changing landscape that is New Zealand under the guises of our widely varying backgrounds in field sites ranging from Iceland, where the volcanoes are basaltic and the population stunning, to Japan, where volcanism is arc related and the nude hot pools create interesting evening discussions. All in all, diverse experiences have made for an exceptional learning environment at outcrops and during evening lectures while making for exceptional socializing time under the influence of a geologists third best friend after the rock hammer and hand lens.
We started our trip north of Auckland at Ocean Beach with the soft spoken, but seemingly all knowing Ian Smith, who has spent years getting to know the area. Perched in a surf club overlooking a picturesque beach, we enjoyed each other’s company with a few ice cold brews and the sounds of the waves mingled with our favorite music lulling us to sleep under the stars (too bad mosquitoes had some other ideas for our evening bliss, but what’s the sweet without the bitter anyway).
Spending the next day cruising the outcrops of Northland, 50 Cent guiding our ears during the car rides and Professor Smith taking over at our stops, we enjoyed a look at New Zealand’s past; 20-25 Ma volcanics related to a past subduction zone orientation at this island nation. Stopping at lookouts to check out the regional scheme allowed us to truly visualize the ghost of geology past, while local outcrops provided clues into the deep seated roots of this magmatic system with some extremely rare garnet bearing andesites and dikes narrated by Dr. Smith.
From Northland we drove south to the southern Taupo Volcanic Zone (TVZ), stopping on the way in Auckland to pick up the illustrious British volcanologist Colin Wilson, whose presence alone is often a learning experience. After a tiring day of driving, we found ourselves a bit chilly but enjoying the comforts of a Whakapapa ski lodge in the excitingly daunting shadows of Ruapehu and Ngauruhoe volcanoes. The next few days were spent exploring the invaluable and ever lasting observations Dr. Wilson has spent a lifetime making as we made our way through the Tongariro volcanic crossing under blue skies and unimaginably beautiful views of exhumed dike systems and the radiantly blue, green Emerald Lakes as we explored the history of this complex southern TVZ system. Professor Wilson dictated road-cut after road-cut of brilliant ignimbrite deposits that both educated us and brought us to challenge what we were learning as these New Zealand examples confronted much of what we have seen of volcanic deposits in our education.
From one volcanic wonder to another, we proceeded north under the electronic cover of Dr. Gravley’s iPod towards the central TVZ where a new series of cones awaited our eager minds. Some heavy rain partially dampened our plans, but where time at outcrops failed under the weather, presentations by Colin and Darren sent academic shivers through us as we considered the mind blowing timing and petrology of the volcanic history watching over us. US Postal Service in mind, however, nothing the New Zealand atmosphere could throw at us was stopping us from appraising these miraculous deposits, and The Final Countdown leading the way, we stormed the field with an intensity only matched by the wildest of cheetahs.
It was in these last few field days too that we opened up each others minds not only geologically, but socially as well. Late nights at the lodgings provided ample time to have lively discussions about musical selections, and the open sharing between cultures of drinking games. It is entirely conceivable that it was during this two week field exercise that the beauty that is Beirut was played for the first time in the sovereign nation of New Zealand, a prospect to make any red-blooded American smile.
We turn our attention now back to Auckland, where in the next few days we will explore the Auckland Volcanic Field and some of the other local geologic beauties that many Aucklanders may not even notice…but we certainly will.