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Ecology in a Changing Climate
Two Hemispheres - One Globe
Field Trips
Australia and New Zealand are well known to ecologists for their ecologically diverse landscapes. Accordingly we have assembled a potential program of field trips that will visit many of these spectacular landscapes. There are pre- and post-congress trips available. The organising committee of INTECOL have negotiated a special rate for INTECOL delegates who wish to visit any of these locations. We have initially offered a considerable number of trips and urge interested participants to contact the relevant commercial operators as early as possible to avoid disappointment. The commercial operators chosen have agreed to take your bookings via their own website. ALL BOOKINGS must be arranged via the websites listed*.
For a detailed summary of each field trip please click on the trip title. Please note airfares and transfers are not included in the cost of field trips.
South East Queensland’s Wildlife and Nature Araucaria Ecotours
The SERI World Conference on Ecological Restoration
Great Barrier Reef: Snorkel & Dive – Quicksilver Connections
Kakadu Highlights – Willis’s Walkabouts
Fraser Island, Kingfisher Bay Resort EcoTours
Island conservation in New Zealand
New Zealand volcanic ecosystems
Forest ecosystems and conservation in New Zealand
Kaikoura Marine Mammals
South East Queensland’s Wildlife and Nature Araucaria Ecotours
Get the 'big picture' of Australia and its wildlife while seeking examples in a variety of habitats in Australia's third-highest biodiversity region, plus a wildlife park devoted to conservation breeding.
Dates: 22 - 24 Aug 2009
Trip begins: Brisbane, Qld, Australia
Trip Concludes: Brisbane, Qld, Australia
Minimum Number: 1
Maximum Number: 16
Cost (per person): From $418-$616 per person
Includes: meals & a range of accommodation
Enquiries to: Ronda Green: platypuscorner@bigpond.com
Bookings via Araucaria website only
Great Barrier Reef: Snorkel & Dive – Quicksilver Connections
Bookings via: http://www.quicksilvergroup.com.au/charters.html
When booking your Great Barrier Reef experience, be sure to mention that you’re an INTECOL 10 delegate, to receive 10% off any tour. This discount applies to accompanying family members or friends. Please note: August is peak tourist season in North Queensland, so be sure to get in early!
Dates: Discounted rates available between 9 – 28 August 09
Trip begins: Cairns and Port Douglas
Trip Concludes: Cairns and Port Douglas
Minimum Number: varied
Maximum Number: varied
Cost (per person): various depending on tour choice
Includes: lunch provided on most tours
Enquiries to: centralres@greatadventures.com.au
Bookings via website only
Kakadu Highlights – Willis’s Walkabouts
Willis’s Walkabouts is a renowned Australian bushwalking ecotour provider. You are guaranteed a fabulous bushwalking experience with Russell Willis’s crew, exploring the magic of Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory. Please be sure to assess this tour against your physical fitness levels.
Click here for an overview of the 2008 Kakadu Highlights tour. You can expect the 2009 experience to be just as spectacular.
Dates: 23 Aug – 5 Sept 2009
Trip begins: Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
Trip Concludes: Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
Minimum Number: 4
Maximum Number: 12
Cost (per person): From $2095 per person (before discount)
Includes: Meals and camping accommodation, pick up/drop off from Darwin accommodation can be arranged
Enquiries to: Russell Willis rrwillis@internode.on.net
Bookingsvia website only
Please quote tour code KH8 to obtain discount – NOTE: 20% discount for bookings made 4 months in advance!
Fraser Island, Kingfisher Bay Resort EcoTours
World Heritage-listed Fraser Island is a rare and beautiful holiday destination, on the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef. The world’s largest sand island is famous for its untamed wilderness and rugged, natural charm.
The beautiful, eco-friendly Kingfisher Bay Resort has provided INTECOL delegates with a range of options and discounts if you book your trip to Fraser Island before 5 August 2009. Click here to view the range of tours and accommodation packages available. All bookings must be made directly through Kingfisher Bay Resort
Dates: 5 Aug – 5 Sept 2009
Minimum Number: varied depending on tour
Maximum Number: varied depending on tour
Cost (per person): varied depending on accommodation and tour choices
Enquiries to: (0011 61) 1800 072 555
Bookings via website only
Attempts will be made during this period of 5 Aug – 5 Sept 2009, for delegates to be involved in current ecological research or activities on Fraser Island.
Island Conservation in New Zealand
Invasive mammals are the biggest threat to much of New Zealand’s wildlife that evolved in the virtual absence of mammals. The use of mammal pest-free islands and ‘mainland islands’ is a major conservation strategy for many of the most vulnerable New Zealand endemics. Visit two cutting-edge conservation projects – Tiritiri Matangi Island and the Maungatautari Ecological Island – with local ecologists to meet some of New Zealand’s most endangered wildlife and to discuss their ecological challenges and opportunities.
Participants make their way to Auckland on the evening of Friday 21st August (e.g. Flights Qantas QF125 or Virgin Blue DJ188 are possibilities arriving at Auckland around midnight) and travel in to central Auckland staying overnight at 'The Base', Auckland. The group will gather in the morning and walk to the Ferry terminal (half kilometer) to take a ferry to Tiritiri Matangi Island for the day (depart 9 am, return 4.50 am). You will need walking shoes and a raincoat; lunch will be provided. Stay overnight on the 22nd at the Base in Auckland - the evening meal is not included in the price. On the 23rd August, we will travel by minibus to Maungatautari Ecological Island. This is an island of habitat rather than a real island, but the ecological situation is similar. Here we will stay at the 'Out-in-the-Styx' guesthouse and take in a night walk to look for kiwi. On the 24th we will return to Auckland via the Miranda Seabird Centre arriving back in Auckland around 4 pm (although this could be revised to meet participants needs). Here the trip ends. An experienced ecologist will accompany the party throughout. The only meal not included in the cost is the evening meal on the 22nd August in Auckland.
Dates: 22-24 Aug 2009
Trip begins: Auckland, New Zealand
Trip Concludes: Auckland, New Zealand
Minimum Number: 10
Maximum Number: 30
Cost (per person): NZ$390
Includes: Most meals and backpacker style accommodation
Enquiries to: Bruce Burns, b.burns@auckland.ac.nz
New Zealand Volcanic Ecosystems
New Zealand sits astride the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire’ and vulcanism has shaped both the landforms and the biota. Take a tour through three indigenous ecosystems determined by past and present volcanic activity with local ecologists. In Auckland, visit the island of Rangitoto where Metrosideros dominant forest invades relatively recent a’a lava; in Rotorua visit ecosystems shaped by continuing geothermal activity; and at Tongariro visit ecological successions occurring on an active volcano.
Participants make their way to Auckland on the evening of Friday 21st August (e.g. Flights Qantas QF125 or Virgin Blue DJ188 are possibilities arriving at Auckland around midnight) and travel in to central Auckland staying overnight at 'The Base', Auckland. The group will gather in the morning (22nd August) and walk to the Ferry terminal (half kilometer) to take a ferry to Rangitoto Island (a shield volcano that erupted 600 years ago) for the day, depart 9.15 am, return 3.30 pm). You will need walking shoes and a raincoat; lunch will be provided. Upon returning to Auckland, you will be picked up by a minivan and transported to Rotorua where you will spend the night at the Hot Rock backpackers. The evening meal on the 22nd is your own responsibility. On the 23rd August, we will visit the Whakarewarewa and Waimangu geothermal areas to see active geothermal ecosystems. At the end of this day we will travel to Turangi, staying overnight at Club Habitat. Again, the evening meal is not included in the tour cost. On the 24th, we will travel to Mt Ruapehu, an andesite volcano that last had a minor eruption in the 1990’s, visiting the National Park headquarters and taking a short walk. You will need warm clothing for this walk as it is at higher altitude in the New Zealand winter. In the afternoon, we will travel back to Auckland where the trip will end. We should arrive back in Auckland at approximately 5 pm (although this could be revised to meet participants needs). Accommodation on the night of the 24th is not included in the price. An experienced ecologist will accompany the party throughout.
Dates: 22-24 Aug 2009
Trip begins: Auckland, New Zealand
Trip Concludes: Auckland, New Zealand
Minimum Number: 10
Maximum Number: 30
Cost (per person): NZ$390
Includes: Most meals and backpacker style accommodation
Enquiries to: Bruce Burns, b.burns@auckland.ac.nz
Forest Ecosystems and Conservation in New Zealand
New Zealand indigenous forests are dominated by endemic species of Gondwanan ancestry. Take a tour through the three major old-growth forest formations in New Zealand with a leading forest ecologist, and discuss the composition, dynamics, history, and conservation of these forests full of ancient conifers, southern beech, and subtropical angiosperms.
Participants make their way to Auckland on the evening of Friday 21st August (e.g. Flights Qantas QF125 or Virgin Blue DJ188 are possibilities arriving at Auckland around midnight) and travel in to central Auckland staying overnight at 'The Base', Auckland. The group will gather in the morning and be transported by minivan to visit kauri forest within the Waitakere Ranges west of Auckland. You will need walking shoes and a raincoat; lunch will be provided. We will visit kauri (Agathis australis) forest within the Cascades area which includes old-growth stands. In the afternoon, the group will travel by minivan to 'Out-in-the-Styx' guesthouse located in the Waikato region and adjacent to the Maungatautari Ecological Island to stay overnight (night of 22nd). We will have time for a short walk to examine tawa dominant forest, and perhaps look for kiwi. On the 23rd August, we will travel by minibus to Pureora Forest Park for walks in dense podocarp forest there. In the afternoon, we will travel on to our overnight stop at Turangi Club Habitat. The evening meal here is your own responsibility. The next day (24th) we travel to the Tongariro National Park to examine beech (Nothofagus spp) dominated forests (e.g., Lake Rotokura walk. You will need warm clothing for this walk as it is at higher altitude in the New Zealand winter. We will be staying overnight at National Park Backpackers. On the 25th August, you will be transported by minibus back to Auckland arriving in early afternoon (1-2 pm) where the trip will end. There would be an option to visit the limestone caves at Waitomo on the return should participants wish to do this although this would delay arrival in Auckland. An experienced ecologist will accompany the party throughout.
Dates: 22-25 Aug 2009
Trip begins: Auckland, New Zealand
Trip Concludes: Auckland, New Zealand
Minimum Number: 10
Maximum Number: 30
Cost (per person): $450
Includes: Most meals and accommodation
Enquiries to: Bruce Burns, b.burns@auckland.ac.nz
Bookings via website only
Kaikoura Marine Mammals
Requires travel to Christchurch on the weekend following Intecol. Spend either Saturday or Sunday on a whale-watching day trip to Kaikoura, renowned for its variety of marine mammals. You'll enjoy a scenic drive through the rolling hill country of North Canterbury, go on a whale-watching boat tour from Kaikoura, visit a seal colony and complete the day with a wine tasting at a local vineyard. Does not include accommodation costs in Christchurch.
Dates: 22 or 23 Aug 2009
Trip begins: Christchurch, New Zealand
Trip Concludes: Christchurch, New Zealand
Minimum Number: no minimum
Maximum Number: no maximum
Cost (per person): Approx. NZ$250
Includes: Transport and whale-watching cruise
Enquiries and bookings to: http://www.nz.com/new-zealand/activities/christchurch/discover-the-whales-return-from-christchurch-.aspx
The SERI World Conference on Ecological Restoration is also offering field trips to South-west Western Australia (leaving from Perth). Please see their website if you are travelling to Perth or if you are planning to attend both INTECOL and SERI Conferences and would like to see some of Western Australia’s stunning botanical wonders: http://www.seri2009.com.au/pages/fieldtrips.html
* The INTECOL organising committee have offered options for commercially operated field trips to ensure that the organising committee are not exposed to any legal issues associated with the provision of field trips. All commercial operators have a good reputation within Australia and New Zealand. Delegates are responsible for chosing field trips that are suitable to their physical fitness standards.