Have you been to Franz Josef? Have you seen a Rowi kiwi in the wild? Have you stayed in a punga forest? These were just some of the unique experiences on the Year 13 Scholarship Biology four day field trip to Okarito on the West Coast.

Day 1 was a ten-hour drive (with stops) through Haast Pass to Franz Josef. The landscape unfolded before us beyond Wanaka and the rain set in on the pass. The Gates of Haast Gorge was especially spectacular with its wild water crashing over the river boulders. Thunder Creek Falls also didn’t disappoint. On arrival, it was straight to the cheap pizza night for dinner and then home to our cosy accommodation.

Day 2 saw us out early to the Wildlife Centre where we went down to observe the incubation of endangered Rowi kiwi eggs and observed two baby kiwi in their incubation rooms. This was followed by getting up close with the tuatara and learning all about the breeding programmes. Finally we went into the Nocturnal House where two Rowi kiwi live before being released gradually back into the wild. It was a very special experience and we stayed over an hour observing them rooting for mealy worms and exploring their habitat.

We then voted at the Franz Josef Health Centre - first time for Jen Marsh who actually turned 18 on that day - Happy Birthday Jen! We visited Lake Matheson and walked part-way around the lake before returning to cook our delicious meals. Saturday night saw us out on a walk to the very beautiful glow worms, followed by walking through a totally deserted town. The decline in tourism is certainly evident.

Day 3 dawned fine and we went back on our 24 hour pass to revisit the kiwi at the Wildlife Centre. We then headed to the Lagoon at Okarito - another landscape altogether - and completed the rather uphill Trig Walk. We were rewarded with magnificent views and glimpses of Mt Tasman and Mt Cook towering above us through the clouds. We also saw the endangered native whitebait in the lagoon and checked out the lagoon foreshore.

We slotted in a walk to look at the Franz Josef Glacier just at the right time when the clouds cleared considerably around 5pm. It was truly spectacular and brought out the geographer in us all. The new track to the glacier is spectacular and certainly shows the dynamic environment there.

The trip highlight had to be the four and a half hour tour which saw us waiting silently and motionless to glimpse BZ the Rowi kiwi in the wild. Our guide Ian was using the very skilled art of telemetry to locate the kiwi’s transmitter. After two amazing calls from BZ earlier in the evening we finally located him in his burrow around 11.30pm! This was a unique experience where our patience and teamwork really paid off.

The trip home was broken up with a visit to the Paringa Salmon Farm and a late lunch in Alexandra. This was truly a special trip, taking students to see very unique environments and critically endangered species in the wild. Thanks to Mr Curtis for his drive to get this trip done in a challenging year and thanks also to Sewmini’s Mum and Dad from the Knox Cafe and Bakery who donated cinnamon scrolls, bread, buns and sourdough to keep us sustained during the whole four days. It was all amazing.