"Aotearoa, Land of the Long White Cloud"

Speaker: Michal Jones is a retired Professional Geologist and worked for the EADS Group for 35 years. The trip to New Zealand was her "bucket list" trip. "

In February and March of 2018, Michal Jones spent three weeks touring both the North and South Islands of New Zealand. and only scratched the surface. Of all the places she visited she really doesn’t have a "favorite” as they were all their own unique places. However, it amazed her that a country of 5 million would be so friendly, so clean and not to mention that all their national museums are FREE!

​Lake Wakatipu at Queenstown, The Hole in the Rock in the Bay of Islands (North Island), home of the Maori. They have a fantastic cultural center there and have been very proactive in keeping their language and culture alive.
Pacific Ocean along the South Island coast. During the earthquake of 2016 the ocean floor was raised at least 3 feet. Volunteers scraped the mollusks and other shallow critters off the rocks which were stranded above sea level and replaced them in the sea. One of most poignant places was Christchurch and the devastation of the earthquake of 2013. There were 168 lives lost and the memorial to those killed consists of chairs painted white. There are wheel chairs, office chairs, strollers and baby carriers. The cathedral was also extensively damaged and there still an on-going debate if it will be repaired, partially repaired of torn down.

​The West Coast of the South Island is a temperate rain forest with over 18 METERS of rain a year. A lot of her "geology" was done at 55 mph but still was able to snap a photo of the junction of the Pacific and Australian Plate. Of course the "star" of the West Coast are the Southern Alps replete with fjords, Alpine Fault (which runs through the Southern Island) at Milford Sound (actually a fjord).​There are vineyards, sheep, farmers, venison herds, and so much more. Three Weeks didn't even scratch the surface on all the sights. She hope to go back someday and explore again.

​View of the Franz Joseph Glacier from Milford Sound. An "close up". The Glacier was where she standing 20 years ago. It is anticipated it will be gone by 2050.