A Near Accident

 

Youngest Son needed my car yesterday, so I went along with him for the drive.  It was nice to be a passenger for a change as you get to see so much more when you don’t have to concentrate on the road.

Our drive took us through Karangahake Gorge near Waihi, a very busy road that is narrow and has multiple blind corners (it is very pretty through here as well).

This photo is an old one, but it gives some idea of what the road is like through the Gorge.  The Ohinemuri River flows along beside the left of the road.

We were approaching a corner when a truck with a shipping container onboard came around the opposite direction. 

All I saw were the tyres well over the white centre line on our side, coming over further and further and straight in front of us.  I kept thinking, Why doesn’t he move over?, Why is he still coming at us?

Youngest Son said afterwards that to him it felt like everything suddenly went into slow motion.  All he could see was a gap between the truck and the drop-off into the river, and the gap was growing smaller all the time.

He said he focused on the gap and actually accelerated to get through it while it was still there. 

I’m positive we had angels watching over us and helping us avoid a serious accident.  It was that close.

Margaret 😊

 

The 'Rena' Environmental Disaster

 

Ten years ago today, what has become known as New Zealand’s worst maritime environmental disaster happened when the cargo vessel ‘Rena’ struck the Astrolabe Reef off the coast of Tauranga.

We were living at Papamoa Beach at the time and many of our friends were involved when the call went out for volunteers to help clean the beach up.

Our beach was assaulted with heavy fuel oil, shipping containers, wood, Styrofoam, plastic bags of ‘goods’ (including rotting meat), and tiny plastic beads.

The action of the ocean waves broke up the oil into a dirty brown scum with an offensive smell.

A lot of sea birds were affected by the oil, and crews walked the beaches looking for affected birds, seals and penguins in need of rescuing. 

They ignored the dead fish and jellyfish that also floated ashore.

Much of the oil settled on the beach at the tide line.

A couple of days later, stormy weather buried much of the oil beneath the sand, making it impossible to remove it by bulldozer.

Crews were kitted out in protective clothing and spent days sifting through the sand to remove as much of the oil clumps as they could.

  It was hot dirty work, and several people became sick from the fumes.  It was not nice.

For several months following the disaster, walking barefoot along the beach would result in having to wash a black tar-like residue off the soles of the feet.

The tiny plastic beads were present for even longer.

Today, thanks to the efforts of many people, the beach is once again a beautiful place to visit.  The oceans and wild life have recovered better than was originally expected.

It might be a good long-term result, but one hopes such a preventable disaster will not soon occur again.

 

Have a happy day 😊

Margaret.

Preparing For COVID-19

It is time to be realistic.  For better or for worse COVID-19, the latest disease to strike the world, has generated near-mass panic and fear in people globally.

Even though there are still no confirmed cases of the virus within our country, there is still an impact being felt.  With the ban on entry into the country of people who have been in China, tourist numbers have been adversely affected and there have been job losses.  Universities are standing down staff as overseas students cannot enter the country.

Then there is the manufacturing side of things.  A lot of our goods are imported, and many of them come from China.  I made a routine visit to the Asian Supermarket this morning and noticed their stock was reduced by around a quarter (they usually have well-stocked shelves).  I then realised that, of course, there is no product arriving to replenish their sales.

Whether we agree with it or not, the possibility of being forced into lock-down is a very real possibility if the virus reaches our community.  So should we be taking precautions to be prepared for such an emergency?

Son and I have been discussing this and believe it would be prudent to make sure we at least have basic foodstuffs to see the three of us through several days.

We already have a good supply of canned food as New Zealand is prone to earthquakes and is home to twelve active volcanoes, meaning we need to be good citizens and BE PREPARED for any emergency that may occur.

For years now, I have labelled my cans with the month of purchase.  This enables rotation so that we don’t end up with a very old unusable can of food.  We only ever stock food that we normally use (even if it is not used that frequently, like evaporated milk), so rotation works well.

We try to have extra dry goods on hand as well, but our supply has dwindled.  This afternoon I am going to the supermarket specifically to restock this supply – I need rolled oats, Weetbix, rice, milk powder and salt.  We still have spare stores of flour, noodles and sugar, so they are not needed.

My list also has soap and disinfectant on it, both essential items for cleanliness and killing germs.  We always keep an unopened bottle of bleach in the laundry for use in disinfecting water if needed, and have means on hand for boiling water or cooking food in the event of a natural disaster.

I feel we are reasonably prepared, without becoming fanatical about it.

Hopefully there will be no forced quarantines, no community lock-downs, no panic buying at supermarkets, but it is probably prudent to be prepared.

Margaret.

Polluting Our Environment

The Firth of Thames is about two hours drive away from us and often plays host to visiting migrant birds as well as several local species of seabird.   When we have warm water temperatures combining with an excess of phosphorus and nitrogen (from agricultural run-off and urban waste water) the end result is algal bloom, which is now being thought responsible for the death of several Red Knot, Godwit and Wrybill birds in this area. 

Godwits at Omokoroa

Years ago we would gather shellfish (tuatua, pipi, Pacific rock oysters) in Tauranga Harbour and along the coastline of the Bay of Plenty and Coromandel Peninsular.  Now nearly every summer these waters suffer algal bloom issues and it is no longer safe to eat the shellfish.  Part of the problem here is the huge growth of Tauranga Port with a constant stream of ships entering and leaving, resulting in a lot more waste being dropped into the surrounding ocean.

Pacific rock oysters, gathered off mudflat mangroves

Nature has a miraculous way of recovering if it is given a chance.  This was demonstrated after the Rena oil disaster off the coast of Papamoa in 2011.  The area was closed to fishermen for several years and many fish species were able to regenerate undisturbed in the vicinity of the wreck.  They thrived, and some species returned after years of absence.  When fishing was allowed again, the area was decimated within three months!  Really, what are we doing to the world we live in?

Oil washing ashore at Papamoa in 2011

At home here in Hamilton, all our drinking water is obtained from the Waikato River.  During the 1980s (so long ago!) I was able to visit a water treatment station and was frankly horrified to see how filthy this water was before it was treated. 

The Waikato River, near Arapuni

I believe the water quality has improved since then, through strict regulation, but it has not returned to the pristine quality it used to have – I spoke with an old Maori gentleman at Huntly (further down the river) many years ago and he told me how they used to swim across the river as children and you could see the bottom of it the whole way across.

Pollution is not new - this photo was taken in 1983

I guess it is a bit idealistic to expect our environment to be free of pollution.  We live in an industrial world after all, and mankind seems bent on destroying his world.  Even outer space is filling up with debris. 

It is all very well to say we should do our bit on a personal basis (and we should) but it is mostly a band-aid on a much deeper global problem that appears to have no easy answer.

Sorry if this is a bit of a dismal post, but these things are having a serious impact on the world we live in.  Happier things tomorrow :)

Margaret.

Smoky Skies

What an horrendous tragedy the Australian bushfires are becoming.  So many people losing their homes, too many people losing their lives, and countless more people losing their livelihoods. 

It is all very sad.

We have several family members living in Australia.  I know some have been affected by smoke and ash, but thankfully (as far as I am aware) they are still alright.  I feel for those whose loved ones are more directly involved.

We have been having some stunning sunsets and sunrises.  I have always enjoyed these natural displays of colour, but knowing they are the result of tragic circumstances makes viewing them a sober experience.

This is a photo of Lake Whakatipu.  Queenstown is built on the shores of this beautiful lake, but yesterday it must have looked very different.  On our television news last night they showed pictures of the thick smokey haze covering Queenstown.  It was so bad that many thought it had been caused by local fires.

Margaret.


Linked to My Corner Of The World

Yesterday And Today

The big news for this morning  has been that a team successfully landed on White Island and recovered six bodies.  I am glad those families can now have their loved ones returned to them, and feel for those who must still wait – two bodies have not yet been found and a search will be made another day for them.

Hamilton Lake, with Mt Pirongia in the background (2008)

Yesterday I felt inspired to rid myself of more of my book collection.  Now that I am downsizing my possessions, I want all my books to fit into one bookcase.  Not an easy task and this is the third time I have attempted it, but I think I might just about have got there!

My bookcase

My collection of Georgette Heyer books is much too large and I have singled out the best ones to keep and some to dispose of.  However some of them I simply couldn’t remember what they were about so I am going to work through and re-read those ones.

The result of that decision was that my nose got stuck in this book yesterday, to the exclusion of everything else in my life, until I had finished reading it.  It is a terrible character fault of mine, that if I find a book interesting I have extreme difficulty in putting it down.

Cousin Kate is a Regency (English) romance with a touch of thriller thrown in.  The outcome was semi-predictable, but I still enjoyed the story.  Georgette Heyer’s books are full of well-researched details and the stories she wrote generally have very plausible plots, but I really don’t need to own twenty-seven of them.

The book I read

I went to Aqua-Zumba class again this morning and loved it.  The pool water was quite cold to get into but we soon warmed up.  I still can’t keep up with our instructor, but it is enjoyable exercise and leaves me feeling good. 

Our local pool, the Gallagher Aquatic Centre

I saw the funniest thing on my way to Zumba – I was sitting at the traffic lights, with all the traffic stopped, and a rat bounded across the pedestrian crossing.  I had no idea that rats were so road-savvy!!

Keep smiling,

Margaret

Down By The River

Beside the Waikato River

I went for an early morning walk through Hamilton Gardens again, and this time made my way down a path that led to the edge of the Waikato River.  It was incredibly peaceful and quiet down there, with only birds and some rabbits to keep me company.  In the distance I could see the Cobham Drive bridge with traffic passing over it, but it was too far away to hear anything.

Looking towards Cobham Drive bridge

It was good to have a little time by myself as I was feeling rather angry after watching the early morning news on TV.  A pilot of one of the three helicopters that airlifted twelve people off White Island soon after it erupted, was saying how they were forbidden to return to rescue the remaining people as it was considered too dangerous for them to do so.  These pilots are all experienced with flying visitors to and from the Island and know the hazards well.  If they were willing to volunteer themselves, then why were they not allowed to do so?  

I am so thankful that no-one was able to stop their first flight or the death toll would be a lot higher (some of the twelve rescued have since died, but at least they had a chance given to them).  By all reports, eight people remained on the Island (in various states of injury) and they are now all declared to be dead.  It is starting to look a bit like the Pike River debacle all over again, and makes me angry and sad at the same time.

(For those who don’t know, the Pike River Coal Mine disaster occurred in 2010 and willing rescuers, who were fully trained and equipped, were forbidden to enter the shaft and search for possible survivors.)

One of several rabbits that I saw

Today was also my four-week weigh-and-measure day.  The scales say I now weigh one kilogram less than I did, and the tape measure says I have lost 3 ½ inches in total.  I confess to feeling a little depressed with these results, but then reminded myself that for the first time in months the scales were not saying I had gained weight, and losing the inches is also a bonus.  I shall choose to be encouraged!

This is a popular riverside picnic area in summertime

Take care,

Margaret

Volcanic Eruption

On the TV tonight we learn that there has been a major volcanic eruption on White Island this afternoon, off the coast of the Bay of Plenty and less than three hours drive away from us.  Initial reports are saying that there were about fifty people on the island when it erupted, and there are around twenty people still unaccounted for.  We are praying they will be safe.

Our family flew over White Island in 1986, but I have never actually set foot on the Island.  These photos are ones I took on our flight that year.

White Island is an active volcano and people land on it at their own risk as it can be unpredictable, as volcanoes are.  Tour groups often visit, and I believe the missing people have come from a tour group off a passenger ship currently in Tauranga port.

This is a sobering reminder of the geology of New Zealand, with its volcanoes and earthquakes.
Margaret.