Travelling to the parts of the country where one day the sea will overcome everything
Not deliberately though
This is coming from the road, as I am in the middle of a road trip around the North Island. It’s very much reliant on where the nice-ish weather is. I got in some Taupo, and then on to the sunny Hawke’s Bay. So sunny. Too sunny. Sunburn.
Coastal erosion deluxe
I visited Haumoana beach, a place that is grappling with serious erosion. About 30cm to 70cm of coastline is liberated per years, by the ever-eager ocean. There’s a row of 18 beach houses (“the Haumoana 18”, which sounds like a group of political prisoners) that are now only a few metres from the sea - or negative centimetres if there’s a storm.
Looking at old aerial photos, I don’t think there’s ever been a golden age where the Clive Street houses were amply set back from the beach. They were always pretty close, it’s just that how they are a lot closer.
The feeling seems to be that these houses aren’t going to be there forever. Eventually the sea will rise and there won’t be much anyone can do to stop it. But I think people just want to make the most of what they’ve got.
Local residents have been lobbying for decades and now the local council has finally agreed to build a seawall. The at-risk houses themselves still have to make do with DIY efforts, with a collection of concrete blocks and bits doing their best to get in the way between the merciless sea and the houses.
To get this pic I had to carefully inch my way down a gravelly beach bank, which I think was on the site of a recently demolished beach house. It’s nice on a sunny day, but absolutely eff that if there was a storm.
This is an interesting report from Radio NZ, back in 2017.
Napier is obsessed with the art deco font and this needs to stop
Street signs should not be hard to read. If the local council wanted to be on-brand, they should make street signs in the actual style that was used in the 1930s. I dunno, probably hand painted with pointing fingers.
But this modern cockery with the art deco font doesn’t care about people.
Also note all the non-art deco buildings in the background of this photo.
Does New Zealand even neeeeed an aquarium?
Napier is a really nice place to go for a holiday. The sun was so hot. It felt like high noon was happening all day long, regardless of the actual position of the sun,
The government announced that New Zealand was moving from the Covid Orange Light to Red Light, at the time I was headed to the farmers’ market in Hastings. So it felt like this was going to be my last thing with lots of people for a while. Except it feels like in the days since there are still plenty of people about, just everyone’s wearing a mask.
I visited The National Aquarium of New Zealand. I have mixed feeling about this. I like a good aquarium but this alleged national aquarium just isn’t doing it.
It has one of those conveyor belt tunnels, and that feels like a gimmick from the 1980s. I feel like aquariums are better enjoyed when you can be still and sit or stand in front of the tanks, taking in the aquatic life and the enticing low light.
Maybe it’s because New Zealand has so much coast that no one feels compelled to build a decent aquarium. It might be like “Why go to an aquarium when the real thing is just on your doorstep?” (Even literally; see above)
I also wonder if aquariums are ethical? Like, dolphin amusement parks are awful. Zoos are questionable. But what about aquariums? (A quick google suggests that any place with sea mammals and/or that offers visitors petting experiences should be avoided.)
Maybe I should just go down to the beach and see if I can spy some sealife.
Next week, another coastal town.