Colors of the Water

    The most striking part of New Zealand that stood out to me was mesmerizing colors of the water. From the plane ride as we approached the South Island, I was amazed at how beautiful the ocean water was and could not wait to explore. I grew up around water for as long as I can remember. Ever since elementary school, I participated in the neighborhood swim team and even took lessons for a few years. I have also spent all of my summers at Lake Oconee, which are some of my favorite memories. My family and friends would tube, wakeboard, jump off rocks, and explore new parts of the lake. One of the defining features of Lake Oconee is how clean the water is, and this stood out to me with all of the water sources here in New Zealand.
    However, my perspective on what I had considered being “clean” water completely changed after our trip to the ecosanctuary. During our tour, we stopped by a little pond and the tour guide asked us whether or not we thought the water was clean. The pond was pestered with little flies and had leaves and branches floating aimlessly around. Not to mention the water was a forest green and I thought to myself, “There is no way I would ever drink that water.” So, I determined the water to not be clean. He then told us that because there was so much aquatic life and plant life surrounding the pond, it is a good indicator that the water was indeed clean. Water that cannot sustain life he said tends to be more toxic, and it gave me an entirely new perspective. The tour guide then handed us nets to collect a sample of what was in the water. We found several pieces of broken off branches and water bugs including baby dragonflies or nymphs. I learned from my aunt that dragonflies have very short lifespans of about three days, and I asked my tour guide about this and learned that the majority of a dragonfly’s life is spent as larvae. These larvae are commonly found swimming in ponds, and the only purpose for the adult dragonfly’s life is for reproduction which is why they have shorter lifespans as adults.
    One of the best parts of studying abroad is the incorporation of traveling and education. So many little tokens of information and factoids I have learned will stick with me forever just like the fact about the dragonflies. It is so different learning in a lecture hall compared to experience first hand the information being told to you. We got the chance to travel to Lake Tekapo this past weekend, and one of the intriguing things to me was the vast difference in the color of the water between different lakes. During our hike to Mount Cook, the tallest peak in New Zealand, Dr. Garton explained to us that glacial silt is what makes the lakes here a beautiful hue of turquoise. The lake at the base of the glacier was an icy pale blue color much lighter than I had seen before, and I learned that it is because there was a higher concentration of glacial silt. Some of the lakes also had a more prominent green color because green algae were able to flourish in these areas. On our trip to Mount Cook, I learned how the Southern Alps help to form and shape bodies of water. The mountains and glaciers carve the valleys the water flows in and contributes to the beautiful colors of the water.
    I have learned that the purity of water is not based on how clear it is at first glance and that several factors play a role in the color of various bodies of water. Since being here, I have loved being around the water and will jump from rock to rock to see how far I can get. (Which is not very far considering how cold the water is.) From hiking to lake shores to sliding down natural waterfalls, my connection and love for water grow, and I cannot wait to see what the beautiful reefs in Australia have in store!