Oruapaeroa-Travis Wetlands, Christchurch,New Zealand

On a recent trip to Christchurch, I again visited the Travis Wetlands. when I was a child we just called it ‘the swamp’ where my maternal grandfather grazed his cows and then sold milk by the billy from the back of a horse and cart!

I’m glad a remnant of that swamp remains – you can get there by public bus. Check out the sights on this slideshow.

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See more photos I took at Travis in 2009.

Greening the Rainforest World Music Festival

My RWMF cloth bags are often commented on at my veg market

When in Malaysia (Kuching, Sarawak) I have planted trees as part of their ‘greening the festival’ programme: and helping cut my carbon footprint too. This tree-planting ceremony – at all local festivals -“helps make Kuching a livable city” I’d been told.

Once again at the Rainforest World Music Festival (20th) #RWMF I find they have found another way to green the festivals by making great bags out of the previous year’s banners! Excellent recycling.

reusing old banners to produce bags help reduce rubbish

Malaysia often receives bad press for destruction of native forests and planting oil palm plantations, so it cannot be easy to convince the often cynical foreigners they want to “take care of our environment”. It’s heartening to note that the Sarawak Tourism Board has taken the government’s eco campaigns seriously. After all Sarawak is proud of having the world’s’ oldest rainforest so they need to care for it on behalf of the world.

Here’s another story I wrote about me planting mangroves at another RWMF festival.

I got to the 20th music festival a day too late to plant trees this time – if I get to the 21st RWMF I will make sure to be there in plenty of time to dig a hole or two for a tree 🙂 🙂

An afternoon of birds in the city

Yesterday afternoon (25 July 2009) I went for a walk with my camera in Travis Wetlands, Christchurch. This land was once used by my great grandfather to run a herd of cows, and sold the fresh milk around Christchurch from the back of a horse drawn cart –  my mother remembers this from when she was a young girl some 80 years ago.  Today, the last remnants of the ‘bog’  or ‘swamp’ as it was once called has been saved from the encroaching houses is now a valued and award-winning ‘wetland’. Check out their website, and visit when you get to Christchurch – you can get there by public bus.

A shag dries its wings