Always Field Ready

Ever since our first trip to the Coromandel, which put us out in New Zealand bush for the first time, we were preached at to always be prepared for four seasons of weather in one day. But as you might remember, I have been in one of New Zealand’s longest droughts in its recorded history. Four months of no rain seems like nothing, but it has been enough to reek havoc on the lately booming economy of dairy. The cows are starving and most of them aren’t milking because of the stress. But how does this relate to my four days out in the field this weekend for the beginning of my directed research project (DRP). Well, Monday the drought was broken and I was still collecting invertebrates.

But let me explain what I was doing in the bush, before I start telling stories about climbing a mountain in heavy rains. The objective of my research is to determine if the assemblage of invertebrate communities may be a result of differing pest control regimes between two mountains, Maungatautari and Pirongia. I will also explore the effects of microhabitat on those assemblages. That means I’m looking at what kinds of bugs are associated with the conditions of each plot we encountered: vegetation, slope, dead stuff around the area, etc. More specifically we are interested in the order Coleoptera, or beetles. We are the “Buggers:” Amy, Danny, Emily, field leader Jilanna and myself, Zack.


Left to Right: Jilanna, Dan, Amy, Emily

Each mountain had two tracks with four transects cut from the tracks into the bush, two arbitrarily designated as upper and two as lower altitudes. A transect is a compass bearing that is followed from a designated point, marked on the track. Six plots were established on each transect with a pitfall trap set up for the last month collecting ground dwelling invertebrates that should happen along the hole in the ground. They have been preserved since falling in a solution of ethylene glycol, water, and a bit of dish detergent to relieve the surface tension. Yes, bugs were killed in the name of science, but the number trapped is a small fraction to the population existing on the mountains. At each plot the pitfall trap was collected and a four-meter square quadrat was placed around the trap in which the microhabitat assessment (my job) was conducted. So being out in the field for four days had us tramping 1.5 – 2 hours up a mountain to the topmost transect. We hit the four transects from each track on the walk back down, lasting about 5 – 6 hours all said and done.

We stayed in bunked cabins at the Roadrunner Motel, more precisely a car park in Te Awamutu. It wasn’t exactly an exciting place to stay, but by dark when we got back there after a day in the field all the accommodation that was necessary was a kitchen for dinner and a bed.

So by process of elimination most of the excitement happened out on the mountains. Friday after coming out of the bush at Maungatautari, we had a bit of time to kill before the “Veggies” were finished with their work for the day. So Jilanna, our field leader for the week, took us to an external enclosure supporting the translocation of native birds. Two takahe and a kiwi with a misformed beak are being cared for there. Jilana is an ex-EcoQuester who is now a permanent resident in New Zealand. She is currently conducting her master’s research of kiwi behaviors on Maugatautari. She also worked for the Maugatautari Ecological Island Trust, and knew the woman with the key to the enclosure.



A group of us also returned to Maungatautari Saturday night for a hike in the dark. We were able to hear a male kiwi and a handful of morepork, a New Zealand owl. Of course a bit of russling from wetas, were heard. Wetas, in the order, Orthoptera, are target species for the invertebrate survey. We got to see some of them on the X-cluder fence, along with a forest gecko. It looks like a baby crocodile. When it opens it’s mouth to lick it’s nostrils, it reveals an orange mouth.



However, not all waking hours were spent in the bush. Jilanna welcomed a group of us into her home for Sunday’s dinner. Her partner, Bruce, a plant ecologist, gave us a hand that day, and was a special addition to discussion along the track and at the dinner table. Sitting around a dinner table was something else. It was a soothing reminder of the comforts from home. Having been dropped back to the Roadrunner motel that was the last I would see of Jilanna dry.

Monday, all the farmers and rural homeowners with water tanks breathed a sign of relief. Saying the draught was broken in reference to the rain can only be a tribute to how dry it was. In two days, more than 9 cm of water fell on the North Island. I had to be ready in order to be out in the field for a full day’s work, the reason you must always be field ready. The first track of the day will have me telling stories of “Transect PRU2” for a long time. The bearing put us out 100 m on an average of 30 degrees down the mountain. Set your treadmill at that and walk it for 10 minutes. Better yet, pour water on it and see how long you can stay standing. The white square in the picture is the roof of the pitfall trap and is about 2 m directly below me. The picture is blurry because I had to keep it in a zip-lock bag to stay dry. It was so much fun, no joke. I haven’t played in the mud in a long time. But we almost lost Amy and Dan a few times. Let’s just say Dan used to hate supplejack. The cherry on top was getting to see the tallest moss in the world on the way off the transect. If you can't make out the picture, you'll have to just believe me.



We were fortunate to be coming out of the bush on Monday. Back at EcoQuest campus, lab work is in progress. A more detailed account thereof is forthcoming. It is after midnight now and I have a full day ahead of me tomorrow of sorting out the families of Coleoptera of individuals greater than 3mm. It is about 8am in the States, but I will say good night anyways. Good night!