Submitted by Nicole Skelly on the 2020 winter session program in New Zealand sponsored by the Department of Communication…
During our first week in New Zealand, we have participated in multiple excursions that were meant to bring a sense of happiness to us. Happiness to me is when one feels completely free and open to experience and feels everything around them. One specific event that we all did together as a group that made me feel completely wholesome was the Footprints Waipoua Kauri Forest Tour (Omapere, NZ). Currently, only 2% of forests remain in New Zealand, and that number can end up decreasing even more due to the Kauri Dieback Disease which is a fungus that is being found in the soil under the roots of the Kauri trees and it is killing the trees from the inside out. Kauri trees are extremely important to the Maori people, they believe that trees created all of life; and that we must respect them and keep them safe in order to protect the future of our children. Our tour guide, who is a part of the Maori culture, showed us around the forest and lead us to the oldest tree in New Zealand (Te Matua Ngahere). As we approached it, our tour guide played a Maori instrument and then began to sing in the Maori language. We stood there staring at the massive tree in silence, just admiring its beauty and the meaning it has to the people of New Zealand. It was honestly such a rewarding and emotional experience. It made me realize that there is so much more going on in our world and that something small like your plane being delayed should not be something to be that upset about. The connection that the Maori people have to the nature that surrounds them is really inspiring. Every single person in my study abroad group, including me, felt very emotional during the entire tour. We all walked out of the forest feeling a sense of fulfillment and true happiness. Even though it is truly tragic that the Kauri Dieback Disease is killing the Kauri trees all around New Zealand, going into and then walking out of the Waipoua Forest was a very memorable experience that gave me hope for everyone all around the world to come together and start working to have a healthier, more eco-friendly environment.
