Geoscience 2022

Field Trips

Please note the 2022 Field trips will be announced as soon as they are confirmed.

The GSNZ Organising Committee have arranged a number of great post-conference field trips, please scroll down to see details of the location, dates and cost involved for each of these field trip options.

The organising committee reserves the right to cancel a trip at any time, offering a full refund (of the field trip fee only) or offering the participant the opportunity to change to another available trip.

You can sign up for field trips when registering for the conference, these are included as additional activities to add to your registration. Link to the online Conference Registration form is available on the Registration page.

Options Overview

Date	Field Trip	Cost*
Friday 3 December 1-Day	Te Ahu a Turanga: Manawatū Tararua Highway and Cultural Sites of importance Leaders: Ben Dixon (Te Ahu A Turanga Alliance) and Jon Procter (Massey University, Rangitāne o Manawatu) In association with Aurecon	$60 pp
Friday 3 December 1-Day	Land use and stratigraphy within the eastern Whanganui Basin, lower North Island, New Zealand Leaders: Callum Rees (Massey University and Horizons Regional Council), and Alan Palmer (Massey University) In association with Todd Energy	$60 pp
Friday 3 December 1-Day	Geomorphology of the lower Manawatu valley Leaders: Dr Alastair Clement and Prof. Ian Fuller (Massey University)	$60 pp

Date	Field Trip	Cost*
Friday & Saturday 3-4 December 2-Days	Mt Ruapehu – Tephra stratigraphy, mass flow deposits and volcanic hazards Leaders: Gabor Kereszturi, Anja Moebis, Jonathan Procter and Stuart Mead (Massey University) FULLY SUBSCRIBED	$220 pp
Friday & Saturday 3-4 December 2-Days	Geoheritage, geodiversity and geotourism potential of the Wairarapa region (Lower North Island’s East Coast) Leaders: Prof Karoly Nemeth (Massey; The Geoconservation Trust Aotearoa), Julie Palmer (Massey), Ilmars Gravis (The Geoconservation Trust Aotearoa), Boglarka Nemeth (Massey; Forest Enterprises)	$220 pp

*All pricing is listed inclusive of GST. Costs exclude conference registration fees. Visit the registration page for registration fees.

Post-Conference One day Field Trips: Friday 3 December

Te Ahu a Turanga: Manawatū Tararua Highway and Cultural Sites of importance
Leaders: Ben Dixon (Te Ahu A Turanga Alliance) and Jon Procter (Massey University, Rangitāne o Manawatu)
Date: 1-Day trip, 3 December 2021
Cost: $60/person

The new 11.2 km long Manawatū Tararua Highway is being constructed across the Ruahine Ranges from Ashurst to Woodville to replace the existing Manawatū Gorge Road which closed in 2017. Currently under construction by the Te Ahu A Turanga Alliance, this project has facilitated extensive borehole investigation, geological and landslide mapping and groundwater monitoring to further the geological understanding of the area.

Te Ao Māori is actively integrated into the design and construction of the project in a way that celebrates this unique area and its rich cultural heritage. You can expect to see Māori culture expressed in many places on this project, from plant species selection to the design of highway structures and celebration of areas with specific cultural significance.

This field trip will start at the site office with a welcome and introduction to the project from the Alliance, then we will review the project geological model and some of core recovered from the boreholes. Following this, we will travel to key sites along the highway to look at geological outcrops that informed the design, large exposures in 70 m high cuts currently under construction, the construction of the 300 m long bridges crossing the Manawatū River and QEII area, and areas of cultural significance including the recent discovery of moa bones.

In association with

Photo credit to, and in memory of, Stefanie von Bueren

In association with

Land use and stratigraphy within the eastern Whanganui Basin, lower North Island, New Zealand
Leaders: Callum Rees (Massey University; Horizons Regional Council), and Alan Palmer (Massey University)
Level of fitness required: Moderate
Date: 1 day trip, 3 December 2021
Cost: $60/person

Keen to explore one of the best records of Quaternary climate change exposed onland anywhere in the world? Say no more, our journey will begin at the Manawatu Saddle, eastern Whanganui Basin, where construction of the new c. $620 million Manawatū Tararua Highway (Te Ahu a Turanga) is underway. Context will be provided by local geological mapping, highlighting faults and erosion prone sediments that present construction challenges. As we move west, towards the Rangitīkei, we will pause on the Pohangina Anticline to explore c. 1.2 –1 Ma basin fill that is exposed by some of the most severe gully erosion within the region, presenting questions around land use management and sustainability. The journey will end with stunning exposures through cylothemic strata (c. 0.9 Ma) at Waitapu Stream and evidence of past volcanism. Lunch and good fossil picking may be enjoyed during a leisurely stroll up the deeply incised stream valley.

Additional Information: Transport will be supplied via mini buses departing from outside the conference venue at Massey University by 8:00 am. Please bring tramping boots, rain jacket, backpack, water and sun screen.

Geomorphology of the lower Manawatu valley
Leaders: Dr Alastair Clement and Prof. Ian Fuller (Massey University)
Level of fitness required: Low to moderate
Date: 1-Day trip, 3 December 2021
Cost: $60/person

The geomorphology of the lower Manawatu valley has been strongly conditioned by the controls of climate change, tectonics, sea-level change, and sediment supply. This fieldtrip will explore the geomorphology of the Manawatu valley from the Manawatu Gorge downstream to the Manawatu River mouth at Foxton Beach. Key environments include: fluvial and marine terraces preserved in the valley; the Pohangina anticline; the Manawatu floodplain; the Manawatu dunefield; and the contemporary coastal environment. The fieldtrip will draw on recent research on the Holocene infilling history of the Manawatu estuary and flood histories of the Manawatu River, as well as taking a fresh perspective on established research on the Manawatu dune field.

Additional Information: Waterproof and warm clothing, and study footwear required.

Post-Conference Two days Field Trips: Friday-Saturday, 3-4 December

FULLY SUBSCRIBED - Mt Ruapehu – Tephra stratigraphy, mass flow deposits and volcanic hazards
Leaders: Gabor Kereszturi, Anja Moebis, Jonathan Procter and Stuart Mead (Massey University)
Level of fitness required: Easy to moderate hikes
Date: 2-Day trip, 3-4 December 2021
Cost: $220/person

Mt Ruapehu is an andesitic composite volcano, located in the Central Volcanic Plateau.

Besides producing many small to large scale hydrothermal, magmatic, and phreatomagmatic eruptions, Mt Ruapehu has produced many small to large-scale flank collapses, and crater rim collapses that have resulted in debris avalanches, landslides, and lahars. Mt. Ruapehu is therefore an excellent natural laboratory to study stratigraphy and sedimentology of tephra and mass flow deposits. The 2-day field trip showcases some of the sedimentary and volcanic processes by visiting key outcrops on the ring-plan and lower flank of Mt Ruapehu. The field trip will introduce new research findings on the tephra stratigraphy, mass flow hazards and landscape evolution response to major tephra forming eruption and mass flow events. This field excursion will also showcase ways of integrating field-based data into numerical modelling and hazards assessment.

Additional Information: Minivan transport and overnight accommodation in Ohakune will be provided.

Geoheritage, geodiversity and geotourism potential of the Wairarapa region (Lower North Island’s East Coast)
Leaders: Prof Karoly Nemeth (Massey; The Geoconservation Trust Aotearoa), Julie Palmer (Massey), Ilmars Gravis (The Geoconservation Trust Aotearoa), Boglarka Nemeth (Massey; Forest Enterprises)
Level of fitness required: light/moderate
Date: 2-Day trip, 3-4 December 2021
Cost: $220/person

In recent years geoheritage and associated concepts such as geoconservation, geotourism, and geodiversity, have gained increasing visibility in New Zealand Geosciences. The field trip visits locations that are iconic in geological research but remain underutilised in the context of geotourism and are virtually unknown as high value geoconservation sites. We will explore complex geological aspects of a region in the Wairarapa that has been shaped by the nearby convergent plate boundary and is not subject to high visitor numbers, in contrast to other well-known, highly promoted tourist destinations. We aim to open a discussion focusing on the geoheritage values of the visited sites against a broader backdrop of global geoheritage research and ventures, particularly in the Southwest Pacific.

This excursion provides a valuable opportunity not only for geoscience specialists but also for schoolteachers, tourism operators, and land managers, or laypeople wishing to broaden their horizons and explore this area in greater depth.

Additional Information: Hiking shoes advisable. Transportation, 1-night accommodation, 2-lunches, 1-breakfast and 1-dinner will be provided.