Ted. I have noticed a commonality among the New Zealanders
that we have met thus far. I think my old college buddy who emigrated here in
’95 is a good example.
Tom is a soft-spoken man who treads lightly upon the
earth. A vegetarian, he usually rides his bike around Gisborne, where he lives. When we went for a
walk in the reserve behind his house, we carried several large jugs of water to
help some young native plants that were struggling in the drought. His walking
group had planted them last year in an effort to repopulate the hill with
native vegetation. A teenaged girl who came
upon us promptly emptied her water bottle to help out. On our way back to his
house, Tom stopped occasionally to pick up the few bits of trash we saw on the
trail.
Everyone we have met; Maori
& Pakeha (non-Maori) demonstrates a deep and abiding love of the land. They
naturally recycle and enjoy sports such as sailing and biking; both gentle to
our planet. Americans can learn from their example.
One more observation – Kiwis
LOVE to travel!!
Judy. What Ted says is absolutely what I see as well. It’s obvious,
when you look in the crystal waters of the streams and lakes, and at the stars
through a pollution-free sky. Yes, there are plenty of extreme sports here, but
there’s a simplicity as well that I love to see.
When you fly into
New Zealand, you can bring no fresh food or plants. Our hiking boots were carefully checked for
soil that might contaminate. Before we walked into the Waipoua Forest, we
sprayed the soles of our shoes to avoid spreading a disease that’s attacking
the kaori trees, and we saw warning signs about putting boats in the water that
might carry disease. As we hiked the tracks, we saw traps to catch rats,
stoats, and opossum, all invasive species that attack native birds. These folks
are serious, and I love it.
As a side note,
there is a wildly popular (and expensive) fibre here, made of merino and oppossum. It’s beautiful, warm, and a great way to use up an invasive species!
And all the tour guides here call us "family," and watch out for us. I've been called a lot of things by tour guides, but "family" is not one. Nice to have a family here.
No comments:
Post a Comment