Animations for Palestine

Our media might be focusing on the latest fads of swine flu, Michael Jacksons aftermath and David Bain. But out there in the world the big issues are still simmering. Here are a couple of short animations advocating for the plight of the Palestinian people still suffering under the oppressive thumb of Israel. The young Palestinian people.

Displacement...

It remains true that, as the Once-ler concluded, "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing's going to get better. It's not."

I was reminded of this Dr Suess quote by this informative web page examining the plight of Sumatran forests. The webpage includes a link to a new site displaying the loss of Indonesian Rainforest on Google Earth.

What caught my eye though was a link to academic displacement theory. Is this new information and effort going to help prevent deforestation? Is it just one more forest mapping program? I don't know. The website seems well intentioned and up to date, but the thought behind the questioning certainly connects with my thoughts about the failure of some research to result in conservation benefits in New Zealand. Particularly it seems in the marine area which I have been trying to come to grips with recently.

And further on displacement. The article got me flashing back to our time in Indonesia. The abandoned tourist hub of Ketambe, with the orangutans in the jungle, where we went walking through the illegal logging above the village. The stories of the charismatic fauna Sumatran Tigers, Rhinoceros's and others, wandering through this area in increasingly fragmented and dispersed populations. Mr Jally and the hubris of his hippie trail bungalows on the edge of his wilderness. His men trying to etch a living as conservation police.

Mahi

James K Baxter in the Jerusalem Daybook translates mahi as "work undertaken for communal love". I'm with him. And there is nothing better than getting out there in your community.

We woke with the grogginess of gin this morning but were quickly out the door to the Island Bay Coast Care planting that we had heard about. This great little group protects and restores a small remnant piece of native duneland looking out over the marine reserve. The last pingao dune "between Karori rock and Eastbourne" according to local sculptor Nick.

Caspar, Penny and I planted Pingao in deteriorating weather, chatting to the locals, before heading to our personal conservation endeavours amongst the rubbish of Evans Bay, where we idled the afternoon away tearing rubbish from amongst the building debris dumped on the foreshore to prevent erosion.

We will never be able to clean this place up or keep it clean without otherwise influencing either the environment, and its ability to capture rubbish, or the rubbish disposal habits of Wellingtonians. So we spent time scheming about both. Straws are a big one, we picked up handfuls upon handfuls of washed up straws, what are the alternatives. And bottle tops. What a disgrace! How many bottle tops now accumulate in our oceans.

We finished the day off by a drive and rubbish pick around the end of Point Jerningham, checking out the potential for revegetation, and the prevalence of rubbish and disfigurement. Plenty of ideas, need to follow a few up!

Matiu

Lunch with self confessed "white collar greenie" and long-time committed conservationist Colin Ryder, somehow led me to the ferry next day, and Matiu/Somes Island. The little place that sits out there in the middle of my office view. Matiu has a chequered history; fortress, quarantine station, p.o.w camp and farm. It is now a recovering island paradise. Dedicated volunteers have replanted all but the most historic sites on the island, and now the bush is starting to flourish. Kakarikis, which I have not seen so close since a visit to Whenua Hou, play like fighter jets through the whiteywood.

Tuatara live here too, and weta. Cook Strait Giant Weta! And Blue Penguins around 800 banded at last count. The uncommon spotted shag roost on the south end of the island, which we peer over, looking back towards Wellington, the natural city, nestled in the arms of Tangaroa. It is great to be out here. This place that so many stare at. On this harbour of the many moods.

Kapakapanui

We were in danger in doing no exploring of substance all weekend, but Penny pulled me off the track. Kapakapanui at just over 1000 metres high towers over the Kapiti Coast at the southern end of the Tararua Range. The loop from the end of Ngatiawa Road in the Reikorangi valley is a great fast walk of about 4hrs. The climb is solid though 900 metres vertical over a few kilometres.

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There is some great bush on this loop. Tawa and Pukatea on their stream side platforms. Kamahi abd beech up higher, with Rata crawling everywhere. Or towering above. It seems to be all or nothing with this plant. The gyrocopter like Toro appear in the mossy goblin forest of the tops along with Horopito, the pepper tree. And on the tops astelia and even leatherwood can appear pleasantly proportioned when there is an easy track to wander through.

A Cheese Toastie of Moments

I was thinking selection, or snippets, or maybe slices. A few paragraphs of travel writing like slices of bread. But then it hit me, cheese toasties.

I hugged the tree. Especially soppy. But I can explain it, it was a mountain cabbage. I had been grumpy that morning. A grumpy bastard. The others were long gone when I was wiggling my pants on trying to avoid the condensation on the roof of the tent. They had left the shelter a mess, as you do when the water is frozen. Ever tried wiping a frozen bench with a frozen cloth? And the camera was gone. Disaster. I had cursed then contemplated boredom, the empty campsite surrounded by bush in the lonely valley. It was mahi that settled the soul. Litter duty eased my troubles. I cached the gear, left a note and strode towards the mountain. My heart lifts with exercise and the mountain cabbage with its spiky hairdo lets down its defences in layers of old fronds.

They have found the missing link. It scythes across the valley side like a water race. Seemingly blasted from rock. Standing above precipices. It splashes through the river then twists up to the pylon on the other side. The trees grow now over the gorse. Mountain biking ecology. Plant natives around the tracks and help them last forever.

It is a place where couples hang-out. Wellingtons favourite romantic slightly adventurous sunset. We have been here many times before, and sat on the old gun emplacements. This time we walked further south towards the bay and sunk in the enormity of the windmills. They emphasise how poked things are. These stripped coastal hills struggle to regenerate. But they will. In 50 years time this land will be bush and we will take down some of these windmills. Those that intrude on our less garish aspects. And we will move on.

Antarctic Exploration

I just stumbled upon this great old film, part 1 of 5 on Youtube. George Lowes account of the 1955-1958 Commonwealth Transantarctic Expedition. Great footage of earlier expeditions by Scott and Shackleton, as well as Hillary and team training in the Southern Alps.