Tour 3 - North Island, New Zealand - Volcanoes to Ocean

Date	Monday 26 to Saturday 31 July 2010
Price	$AUD 1895.00 per person single room $AUD 1620.00 per person twin share
Inclusions	Coach travel Accommodation - Monday through to Friday inclusive Breakfast -Tuesday through to Saturday inclusive Morning Tea - Tuesday through to Friday inclusive Lunch - Tuesday through to Friday inclusive Afternoon Tea - Tuesday through to Friday inclusive Dinner - Monday through to Thursday inclusive Tour Manual Tour Guides Entry to Mokai Geothermal Pools, Craters of the Moon and Huka Falls
Participants	Minimum of 25 delegates
Special information	Twin accommodation only available in some locations
Visa	Please CLICK HERE for more information about obtaining a Visa to enter New Zealand

The North Island NZ---- Volcanoes to Ocean: Assessing the risk and valuing the natural capital.

Day 1 - Auckland

Tour will commence on Monday evening by over-nighting in Auckland, New Zealand's largest urban centre, ready to depart early on Tuesday morning

Day 2 - Tirau, Lake Taupo and Turangi

We will immediately head south to the market gardening area surrounding Pukekohe , to discuss soil resilience, erosion and urbanisation issues focussing on the Pukekohe silt loam (Typic/Andic Kandiudult) formed on the slopes of an old basaltic cone overlaying even older marine terraces. Now heading south-east we will arrive for lunch in Tirau, a centre of intensive pastoral farming. Here we will view the Tapapa section , a classic Andisol in distal composite tephras [Tirau soil, ( Typic Hapludand)], where the profile records tephric loess and buried soil horizons dating back 230,000 yrs. We complete the day with a trip to view geothermally heated horticultural crops, and a trip towards sunset around Lake Taupo to overnight in Turangi. Bring swimming wear for hot pool bathing

Day 3 - Rivers, volcanoes and farming

On Wednesday morning we will follow the Tongariro River to its head waters under the active volcanoes Ruapehu and Ngauruhoe, stopping at the Mangatoetoenui Quarry to view the cover-bed succession of Holocene and Late Pleistocene Ruapehu- and Ngauruhoe-derived tephras resting on lahar deposits. Continuing our journey south and descending through extensive hill country sheep farms on steeply dissected and highly erobile soft ocean sediments, you will get the chance to view a river aggradation terrace sequence on the western side of Rangitikei River, spanning the last 400,000 yrs. The last stop of the day will consider the problem of pastoral farming on steep-land formed in Early Pleistocene marine sands and muds. The rate of formation of new soil is slower than the rate of soil loss. Exotic forestry or retirement to native shrubs and trees is desirable, but is politically and financially difficult to achieve. On to, Massey University in Palmerston North and a special tour dinner.

Day 4 - Palmerston North and Hawkes Bay

On Thursday you will follow the Manawatu River upstream, north-east from Palmerston North to the fruit bowl of New Zealand, Hawkes Bay. On the way you will be asked to consider the compromise that has to be made between intensive dairying, sheep and beef farming, viticulutre and environmental protection of soils and water quality. After enjoying the pip and vine fruit of the region you will return to overnight in Taupo

Day 5 - Craters of the Moon, Huka Falls and Rotorua

On Friday, the final day, you will traverse the geothermal Taupo-Rotorua region stopping to see some of its natural wonders (Craters of the Moon and Huka Falls) alongside the Waikato River. You will cross a landscape of economically driven, landuse change (deforestation of plantation forest) on soil formed on deep layers of pumice and tephra.

At Lake Rerewhakaaitu, near Rotorua, we will stop to view the Rotomahana soil (Udivtrand to Udorthent), a classic layered profile with 4-5 separate tephras and buried soil horizons and consider an unusual landscape of topsoils formed in Rotomahana Mud and Tarawera scoria soils.

The return trip to Auckland via thermal gardens in Rotorua will stop in Hamilton to view the latest in dairy farm research. The tour ends with a night to recover in Auckland before departure on Saturday to The Congress.

Day 6 - Auckland and on to Brisbane and the 19 WCSS

Time at leisure prior to your onward journey to Brisbane Australia for the 19th World Congress of Soil Science