21 May Lake Tekapo

NZMCA Park Over

We drove to Lake Tekapo because this was another place we had not properly stayed at. It was a very frosty start but luckily we had planned ahead and parked where the sunshine could get to our solar panels early. Damn! We forgot to leave the water-heater on and overnight the water pump froze-up. It was a proper frost of about -6C...

Frost on some driftwood nearby

The surrounding area was so beautiful, it was difficult to believe this campsite was another freebie thanks to NZMCA. No facilities of couse, but the township just a short bike ride away along the lake edge track and past the famous lonely church.

Lake side view from the camp

Dizzy in the dog park - conveniently right next to the camping-ground

We had to put wait to run the water until it had defrosted - with the help of the generator running the electric fan-heater into the cupboard.  We learn about these types of tricks as we go along - next time, if there's going to be a frost. leave the little boiler on! I was desperate for a cuppa!

one of the many poison signs around the lakeside and camp...

The sun was low but it was a beautiful day over the lake. Dizzy and I investigated and found the poison Pindone was all around the forest...but in bait stations that were unusually really well-protected and with adequate signage (although still none in any other languages).

Poison Bait stations along the tracks that criss-cross the lakeside forests...

Not ideal, but much safer than the aerial poison we have seen elsewhere in South Island. We moved on further North that day  - heading home via the ferry and to warmer climes. Meanwhile, we were planning what we need for our next Wintertime trip - certainly another heater and another solar panel for when we are 'off grid' for more than a couple of days...

24-25 May Weedons, Near Christchurch

NZMCA Park over.

Back at Chch for a few days while we caught up with some work. Justin had to fly to Rotorua for work and Dizzy and I caught-up on some people-watching.

18 May Cromwell, Lake Dunstan

NZMCA Lake Dunstan

Boy oh Boy was it cold here! That wind off the lake makes it extra icy! Luckily we had our gas heater for the caravan to keep us warm - and lots of spicy hot curries too!

The guy who turned-up to camp next door was on his way to a speed-boat race somewhere in Southland. He needed to test the boat out (obviously) so (obviously too) Justin offered to help launch it with the Ranger. Me and Dizzy (none too keen on ice-cold water) watched from the shoreline as it took off at speed... 

Helping with the launch

Somewhere out there is a fast boat!

Next morning, it was so cold we decided to head for a powered site nearby, where we could use some power to warm us up. 

19 - 20 May Alexandra

Camped at Galloway near Alexandra

It would be 3 months after this event that it would take on new significance: we met my friend and poison-free colleague Vicky, and camped on her land which has lots of beautiful horses and pets. Brrrrrrr it was getting cold again and even a flutter of snow came down overnight whilst we were inside chatting away and drinking wine...the mountains were getting whiter and whiter!

a day to be glad of our 4 wheel drive Ranger!

We learned about the local battles Vicky had fought and the family pets she kept. It was fabulous to finally meet her in person and learn about the local community. I helped her daughter to make a dress for school project that has the theme of recycling made of newsprint. Fabulous fun!  

Another friend and fellow poison-free supporter and animal welfare volunteer came around too, Gail with her daughter-in-law. We had a loud and enjoyable evening laughing and retelling stories of how insane the DoC poisoning operations are and sharing people we knew and had met along our different life journeys. Gail told us about how profoundly she had been affected by witnessing the helicopters dropping the poison over her beloved Makarora Valley backin February. She had been there supporting the protestors, and talked to many of the tourists trying to explain to them the potential dangers of drinking the water in the Blue Pools. We could all sense her passion for wanting to stop the aerial poisonings - as we all do.

One of Vicky's lovely family pets :)

Gail went home happy and peaceful that we had got together at last and shared some tears and laughter. In the morning, Justin helped Vicky feed the animals and then once the day began properly and the snow has almost melted, we set off on our way again, hoping to go further North. But the snow was too much for some vehicles on these local roads, and the road North was closed further out of Alex. We stayed at nearby Cromwell and paid extra for a powered site, taking full advantage of the laundry and kitchen facilities. The campsite was very friendly and definitely on our list to return to as it's in a lovely location. Even if these Top-ten type places are a bit pricey. they can be worthwhile once in a while. Especially on an unexpected stopover.

*****************************

This post has a very sad post-script: later in the year, July, our friend who we met for the first and unknowingly for the last time that night, Gail - a long term friend of Vicky - took her own life. Suicide is a desperate tragedy in New Zealand - this nation has some of the largest number of suicides of any of the developed countries - especially in the young male populations. It is a largely unspoken tragedy too, with so many families suffering. Bullying, poverty and other aspects are all a part of life in NZ. But I know that Gail suffered profoundly after witnessing and fighting the aerial poisonings. I know that suicide is a complex issue and undoubtedly, people have multi challenges in their personal lives that we can't every fully understand. But I strongly suspect that aerial poisoning does have a profound affect on some individual's mental health, and no studies have been carried out into this. The fact that it is much out of our control, that poison is so ubiquitous here and alongside that, the inhumane unjustified killing of animals, so normalised it presents some serious questions for public health researchers of the future - when the true hideous nature of this corruption is exposed. RIP Gail. We will go on fighting for you and what you believed in.

Gail at a protest #ban1080

16 - 17 May Makarora

We returned to stay at the Makarora Tourist Centre with some trepidation: the 1080 poison drop over the whole Makarora Valley area had been carried out 3 months before. The question was, had all the beautiful wildlife that we witnessed back in January when we last visited, survived? What would we be faced with after this travesty on our environment including the wide expanse of rivers?

Upon arrival at the Campsite at the Makarora Tourist Centre

It was quiet when we arrived - the weather was still and cold and the campsite virtually empty. The modern architecture of the swanky DoC office juxtaposed (as they often do) against the humble residential homes nearby. (Franz Josef being the most hideous example of that). Of course the DoC office was unmanned at this time of year. What a waste of resources. 

One of the all-too-familiar poison warning signs (this one approaching the Blue Pools Walkway at Mount Aspiring National Park) that are now ubiquitous around NZ forests and walkways.

I knew the poison hadn't been scheduled to reach as far as the Tourist Centre itself (that would be far too risky for DoC to pursue without having to answer some very uncomfortable questions), but it was very near - 5 mins drive away in fact, at the famous and popular Blue Pools was where the 'conservation' operation area began and run many hundreds of Kms North and East of there.

One of the beautiful waterfalls along the Blue Pools tracks...

OIAs that me and colleagues have undertaken about this particular 'pest control' operation reveal that (like numerous others) no assessment of possum numbers was carried out (either before or after) and that the assessment of rat numbers (although very agricultural in methodology and questionable in validity) was actually well below DoCs own guidelines that form a rationale for a poison operation. These OIAs continually throw the whole DoC and TBFree (Ospri) poison industry into question. This is effectively, undoubtedly, fraud - taxpayers' funds being used with no rationale for poisoning operations that are not subjected to any accountability or auditing. I've witnessed  - and been a victim of - the bullying tactics of these public-servants who try to protect their gravy-trains. It's not acceptable in a so-called developed country for individuals to be subjected to this kind of harassment. And will the media even report these events? Very rarely. We rely on the small, independent press to attempt to expose some of the research - e.g. like this. and more recently this.

The surrounding area of the campsite...

Anyway, it was a lovely day and back to the Blue Pools walk we went later that day (we left Dizzy behind at the camp). And there were a few tourists there, mainly from Asia, looking around at the scenery in awe. I asked one of them: "what do you hear?" And they listened...."errrr, water?" they responded. Mmmm indeed. Very little bird song here. Especially compared to our last visit where Kereru were flying past us in flocks every minute.

The famous Blue Pools - this is the view from the bridge at the beginning of the Mount Aspiring tracks...

I walked for about 50 minutes into the forest and it was definitely eerily silent. Not even bugs flying around. Now I know seasons change and with it the bird's food source and the wildlife. But this was more that that - the change from our previous visit was eerie - not even an insect flew past us. All was still and silent....Here is a very short recording I took on my phone to give you an idea:

In contrast, the birdsong just a few kms away when we got back at the campsite was still (thankfully) uplifting and prolific: 

Dizzy keeping warm by the campsite kitchen wood burner. :)

A hearty non-vegetarian meal  - Poison-free.

Back at camp we found the kitchen empty, so we relaxed a bit and lit the communal fire and cooked some of the wild pig that we had been given by a friend down in Otautau - poison-free of course. Some fresh veggies and local wine lifted our spirits after witnessing the poison signs all around us and the silence along the tracks. Probably the most upsetting was the apparent total ignorance of the tourists there, who didn't even look at the (English only) warning signs. Oblivious to the dangers, as Clyde Graf highlighted in the recent film about this poisoned area.

The irony of this sign over the campsite kitchen's sink wasn't lost on me!

Whilst on our journey I systematically read any books I could get hold of that may provide some clues about the views of New Zealanders about their environment. One of the books I had at hand during this part of our trip was the biography of 2 journos called Ric Oram and Louise Joyce, An Autumn Journey  which tells of their move from 'city' life in Auckland to running a rural B&B in Otago - not far from where we had been last week in Alexander. This excerpt published 10 years ago, illustrates the apparent normalisation of having pets traumatically killed by 1080 poison: 

Para from the book mentioned above: An Autumnal Journey

Whilst in the area, we visited nearby Haast and had tea with a friend in the township there. The local Dairy was very friendly and the town was much quieter than we have imagined. No phone coverage here, no wifi and not even any 3G signal. It felt very isolating. In fact, the local hotel owner told us how often he has to point out to guests that there is no communication possible here (other than the archiac PCs and 'dial-up' for $5 for 5 mins at the local shop). Often, upon realising how dire the situation is here they get straight back in their rental cars and head off...

This is a real shame for the struggling community which is surrounded by poisoned rivers and bush. No hunting here. And the local (dog-friendly) beaches are just stunning (although I didn't let Dizzy out of my sight for one second in case of the risk of secondary poisoning): 

Haast beach, looking North

Loads of beautiful driftwood along this stretch of lonely beach...

One of the tributaries leading out to the beach with the unused whitebait stations along the edge...

I mentioned to my friend in Haast about the 'wall of remembrance' in the dairy, and she told me how every single resident expect one, had died from cancer in that community in the years she had been there. There was a sadness about the place that was a tragic reflection on the poisoning that was all around us. The aerial poisoning is a strange phenomena - as I think I've mentioned before - the dynamic that means the helicopters are totally out of your control, and that what they are dropping is not part of the helicopter-operators or pilots' everyday life...it is utterly unacceptable that still, after 62 years of the Government doing this, with no scientific evidence of its effectiveness (and plenty that illustrates the opposite) there are still NO epidemiological studies into the public health impact of aerial poisoning with Compound 1080. And yet the rusty old whitebait stations are increasingly useless as the numbers of fish decrease annually....coincidence? Who knows. But this Government certainly doesn't care.