A celebration of our wild New Zealand landscape and National Parks - and a "heads up"

Quentin Smith of Wanaka has recently formed a FaceBook group: Hands off Mt Aspiring NP and a few days ago membership stood at 5000, and it's now well over 6000!

... which relates to the noises our new, seemingly unenlightened and uninspired, New Zealand Government are making to initiate mining investigations in our National Parks. Not only my local Mt Aspiring National Park I might add!

While they say it's only a stock-take even that is a transgression and impossible to do without major disturbances and destruction of our heritage put aside for all coming generations.

Having got this off my chest [link below] I'm here sharing some of my favourite landscape photos I've made of our wild New Zealand landscape.

This is Mt Brewster - somewhat in the middle of the area of Mt Aspiring National Park our National Government has it's beady eyes on [and in bed with which multi national corporation that historically is always in the background taking profits when it comes to mining resources in any country?]...


Marks Flat under Mt Hooker - a huge tract of land designated at Conservation Estate in South Westland. Should it be part of the World Heritage Site in this area [Te Wahipounamu - South West New Zealand]?


You can "mine" great powder on the slopes of Mt Cook in Mount Cook National Park...


Alma hut in Westland National Park, with Franz Josef neve behind...


Mt Aspiring from Cascade Saddle


Lake Hankinson in Fiordland National Park [not far from the Milford Track]...


Looking down one of the significant glaciers in Westland National Park


There is a FaceBook generated link here, to view, or I suggest join the group: Hands off Mt Aspiring NP.

Or failing above then click on Groups in your FaceBook account and type in "Hands off Mt Aspiring NP"

And on a related matter this week I found out that New Zealand has 56,000 Kms of public roads that are not public, and our current New Zealand Government, and the preceding one it seems, have apparently been doing their best to sweep these "paper roads" under the carpet by use of cunning legal moves to give the land to those [many of whom have already fenced them off], in exchange for easements. The former offer us, the recreational users and owners unfettered access, the latter, easements, do absolutely nothing for us - only for self serving interests of those who've squatted on our rights.

Blast from the past favourites, and more on the idea of dams on the Clutha

It's been one of those weeks of reflection, and I've made no new landscape photos. Instead I'm settling into the moment after a few weeks of all sorts of varied upheavals: friends passing on, my son dealing with the astounding growth of mind, spirit and body associated with the teen years, and friends hitting the wall so-to-speak, on their journeys towards growth.

So since that's been the theme it seems fitting to delve into the past tonight and post and share some of my old time favourites.

Mt Aspiring probably taken from a flank of Roys Peak. That's Lake Wanaka's Glendhu Bay down on the left...


Mt Aspiring again - this time an unusual, more European Alps style of viewpoint, obtained from near the Albert Burn Saddle, Mt Aspiring National Park...


One of my most favourite of vehicles - a VW 1500 that I used for years, often like a Land Rover to capitalise on the rough roads on the early 1970s. Here photographed after a snowfall in the Danseys Pass area that links North Otago to Central Otago...


Naseby gold workings. A landscape photography dream in the 1960s, when it looked more like the surface of the moon, just before wilding pines turned it into the forest it is today. Naseby Forest as it is now known as, is a mecca for technical mountain biking, and is near the famous Central Otago Rail Trail...


The long wide and barren summit ridge of the nearby Pisa Range, host to the Snow Farm where I nordic ski...


Fence posts made from rocks on The Old Dunstan Road. A favourite photo I made back in the 1980s...


From near the Great Moss Swamp on The Old Dunstan Road, looking west on sunset right across most of Central Otago's block mountains...


And as mentioned in the blog subject, lastly some new links on the ill conceived idea to dam the Clutha River...

The fledgling Upper Clutha River Guardians website just went online... more>>

... and the Otago Daily Times website is sporting a poll, which will be well worth the time to fill in, as we know it's monitored by decision makers. There have been some very thoughtful posts opposing.. more>>

The Clutha River - dam plans threaten the river and plans for a park and trail

Often we take what is on our back door-step for granted and I'm as guilty of this as anyone. One of the major sources of the 338km long Clutha is only several minutes away from my door, and just lately with insidious requests locally from Contact Energy for opinions on 30 yr. old plans to build 4 dams I've been jolted so much my rose tinted spectacles have been shaken off!

The view looking west last Sunday from the Lake Wanaka outlet, where The Clutha begins in our neck-of-the-woods...


I'm also aware the Clutha Mata-Au River Parkway Group is working to create NZ's largest river parkway along the entire 338km long Clutha Mata-Au corridor, including a river-length Clutha River Trail. Given the success of the Central Otago Rail Trail we're already pointing out the benefits that could come from these plans, that would bring thousands of visitors per year to enjoy something that is truly unique and awesome.

The Clutha very quickly develops a distinct character a Km downstream...


Thinking this through along with the recent successful dark avatar protest on twitter and other social networks to draw attention to an ill-conceived NZ Govt legislation with regards to copyright on the web it's occurred to me we don't have to take on this fight alone. With blogs etc. we can draw attention to these outdated plans on an international scale.

And this character has seasonal flavours...


Three of our largest lakes, Wakatipu [the well known alpine resort town of Queenstown is on it's shore], and my [home] Lake Wanaka and Lake Hawea spawn this amazing waterway renown for it's water colour, history and scenic route to the sea among other things.

And it's always so dynamic - alive to it's journey to the sea and at peace with it's path so-much-so it flows with astounding speed and purity...


Through an ever changing landscape...


All of this landscape inc. Mt Aspiring in the distance feeds the Clutha...


Along the way it picks up side streams...


It's embarrassing to me as a New Zealander to say that if we need more power that we should first conserve what we have: it must be too cheap, our cost for it, as we all waste it, especially businesses, and how we fail to build and design efficient housing that lies to the sun is nothing short of disgraceful. But wait, there is more: we also let large corporations play with pricing and supply, not to mention our Govt...

I often wonder why we allow power from Fiordland's Lake Manapouri to be sold to the Comalco Aluminum Smelter at Bluff for an undisclosed sum. From this I assume it's sold very cheaply, so why don't we claim back our energy and use it for ourselves? I think we'd make more from it!

We need to get away from the concept of "owning" water and land - we are only the caretakers!

If you wish to pass on your views to Contact Energy this email address was published recently in one of our local newspapers: cluthahydro@contactenergy.co.nz

They also run a forum [pity it's moderated - there is nothing transparent in this as they can choose to not publish opposition!]

And on their site there is a form for email

Lastly while I can't provide heaps of great New Zealand landscape photography of the route the Clutha takes to the sea, I here include a selection of some of the sources. The Shotover complete with troublesome "wilding" larches...


The Wilken and Makarora river valleys...


Matukituki River and Shotover Saddle in Mount Aspiring National Park...


The Matukituki entering Lake Wanaka near Glendhu Bay...


Site head's up for this week: If you'd like to know more of the nature of the Clutha, Pioneer Rafting have a flavoursome web site