The first time I ever slept-out (sleeping bag, no tent), I was about four years old, and the place was an idyllic …
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Palaeobotany & Palaeoclimate
The Kai Point Coal Mine – Late Cretaceous vegetation treasure-trove
by Mike Poleby Mike PoleThe lowlands south of Dunedin (New Zealand), used to be almost impassable wetlands. The local Maoris were incredulous when the first Western …
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Palaeobotany & Palaeoclimate
Eucalyptus fossils in New Zealand – the thin end of the wedge
by Mike Poleby Mike PoleEucalyptus (aka ‘gum-tree’) is the quintessential Australian tree. There are about 700 species of them today (depending on who you ask), all of …
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Climate & Earth Systems
Four Degrees of Climate Change in New Zealand – should we care?
by Mike Poleby Mike PoleNew Zealand might be a relatively lucky position as regards global warming. We mostly have a moderate, ‘maritime’ climate. Not too hot, …
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Climate & Earth Systems
Beetroot with your Peanut Butter and Marmite? The basic geological structure of New Zealand
by Mike Poleby Mike PoleNew Zealand must be one of the best places on the planet for geology. We are famous among tourists for having so …
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The Gobi is the great desert that extends along southern Mongolia and northern China. Its northern extent is marked by a series …
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When I was a novice geology student, the world appeared kind of simple. Faced with a rock, I could ask myself the most …
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We set up ‘camp’ at the base of Mongolia’s ‘White Doors’ — a gap in a massive outcrop of vertically-tilted limestone. ‘Camp’ …
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Autobiography & Travel
Sunday School stole my heritage – Bears, Baa-lambs, and Salmon
by Mike Poleby Mike PoleDon’t get me wrong – Christian virtues (the teachings of JC) are admirable. I was brought-up going to ‘Sunday School’ and I …
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There was a time when I threatened myself to start teaching the ecology of Middle-earth. I helped take a couple of trips …