Nora Paicu has just returned from a Blake New Zealand expedition to the area on the HMNZS Canterbury.
The trip was cut short a week in, after the naval vessel was called back to New Zealand to provide support and supplies in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle in the North Island.
While the Columba College year 13 environment prefect was a little disappointed about the disruption, she said the expedition was still the trip of a lifetime for her.
"You have to understand that the HMNZ Canterbury vessel needed to help the north due to the cyclone, and the trip was already amazing as it was."
The expedition provides an opportunity to encourage environmental leadership and growth in young New Zealanders, who will go on to conserve native flora and fauna and reduce the rate of climate change.
Nora was one of 11 tertiary and secondary students from across New Zealand selected by the Blake New Zealand Foundation to go on the expedition.
During the trip, she was able to work with scientific researchers, the Department of Conservation (Doc) and the Defence Force on missions, which included researching plankton to discover potential invasive species, analysing kelp to see how it arrives at and changes the ecology of the Antarctic, and sampling peat to see the geological changes of land due to climate change.
Work with Doc staff included investigations and attempts to conserve the natural native habitat of the Campbell Islands.
Highlights of the visit included seeing a large population of royal albatross, a very rare rockhopper penguin, and multiple dolphins and sea lions, she said.
Multiple presentations were also given about the oceanography of the island, how to best conserve the kākāpō population and how hoiho yellow-eyed penguins and sea lions were being monitored.
Last year, Nora received the GirlBoss New Zealand Activator Award from the Ministry for Primary Industries for her project on propagating and growing native plants, and earlier this year she attended Powering Potential (an academic science camp) held by the Royal Society of New Zealand, in Wellington.
She plans to study law and agri-business next year, in the hope of one day working in government to create more sustainable agriculture in the primary industries, and conserve native flora and fauna, while providing for New Zealanders.
