Waiheke Island- Ace Gerace

Today we visited the Waiheke Island. On the island we had the opportunity to give back by helping a sustainable development organization by planting trees. At this organization they have a goal of planting at least 10,000 new trees a year. Last year alone they doubled this goal with over 20,000 tress planted. They also do a lot of things along the lines of composting to help reduce waste. It was very interesting to hear what trees were native to the lands and what invasive species have been causing problems. The tour guide explained to us that some trees that were native to new Zealand can only be found on the northern island because it gets to cold on the southern island. I got to see at least five species of birds on our walk thru the wetlands on the way to plant the trees. After this we went to the vineyard. This was an awesome experience we got a tour of the property and the workers told us all about their company. It was very interesting to hear that New Zealand is famous for sustainable practices within their wine industry and because of this it puts them at a global competitive advantage and their industry has boomed exponentially in the last couple decades. Overall today was very fascinating and I learned a lot.