Kaikoura Ethnohydrology

Writing from Blenheim, Arizona State University student Marie Manning, a global health major, describes her time spent on a Kaikoura wild dolphin encounter and the research she is undertaking in New Zealand for an ethnohydrology project, which aims to find out more about how individuals feel about the water systems in their native countries. “Kaikoura is beautiful,” Manning declares. “It’s a little town on the coast, and I have rarely seen such amazing scenery. The beaches — though not at all like the white sand of the Caribbean — are stunning, with smooth grey stones and wild, blue-green swells. Out on the boat, we saw two sperm whales, a few playful seals and a surplus of huge, hungry albatross.” Manning will interview three New Zealanders for the project.