If you’re interested in the state of New Zealand’s fish stocks, you’ll find an enourmous volume of publications from government and ministry of fisheries claiming that they are on the rise, improving in quantity and quality. NZ fish and commercial fishing methods applied are up with the world’s best.
Well, I’ve lived 13 years in New Zealand and one thing every immigrant learns quickly is that New Zealand is world class in EVERYTHING. Full stop. I believe we also make some of the best mozzarella cheese worldwide.
Sunday, noon, Tryphena, Great Barrier Island, apart from my neighbour quad-ing up and down the track it has been very quiet and calm. In addition, I’m in a very good mood. I’m heading to Germany in a couple of weeks to meet the family and for some R&R, and have been taking it easy the last two weeks (that is apart from my paid employments).
We celebrate people who do nothing for us and we display our apparent appreciation verbally by using a new-formed language. The type that consists mainly of unfounded exaggerations, superlatives and arguing without having arguments.
The way we get around can be an important part of day to day life, and any approach toward more sustainability and less environmental impact needs to address transport. Utilizing renewable energy sources (solar, wind and/or hydro) to power electric cars (E-Car) is certainly the right way – and although the technology is readily available commercially and constantly decreasing in cost – a traditional implementation on Great Barrier Island is just not cost effective. In the following an explanation of why it’s not feasible and suggestions.
As I’m writing, another storm is building up on Great Barrier Island, and it is convenient to use it as an excuse to spend the day inside, by the fire, avoiding all the chores that I need to take care of, and watching Rani through the window having another feast on a vast selection of cow bones. To be honest, I have been quite lazy recently and if it wasn’t for the storm, I’d find another lame excuse not to do my chores or tackle any of the projects that I have been pushing aside. Continue reading Words and Images from Great Barrier Island→
Some years ago I read in a fishing magazine that winter is the best time to sort out and maintain your fishing gear. The rationale being to get things serviced during the quiet months and be prepared for the next fishing season. If you live in (sub) tropical areas, you might just as well disregard this advice. Winter fishing off the rocks cannot only be highly productive, it is also a preferred time of the year – as highlighted in the following – to get out there and catch a feed.
Amongst the many delicious foods that you should try during your New Zealand holiday is of course a dish of fresh, big and juicy green lipped mussels. To make this experience more memorable, gather them yourself. Sometimes, you don’t even need to get wet to collect a feed of mussels.
Fresh, big and delicious green lipped mussels can be easy to gather and are easy to prepare as well.
Let’s make this a quick comparison and start with the local government. Chatham Island’s local government is allegedly unique within New Zealand, as it involves a council established by its own Act of Parliament, the Chatham Islands Council Act 1995 (Statute No 041, Commenced: 1 November 1995). The Chatham Islands Council operates as a district council with regional council functions, making it in effect a unitary authority but with not quite as many responsibilities as the others [source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chatham_Islands]. Obviously the way to go but we won’t see any of that here on Great Barrier Island, Auckland Council’s power and administrative arm is ever increasing and will certainly do its best to stay in charge of all interests in the city of Auckland and the Hauraki Gulf. Continue reading Chatham Islands (New Zealand) vs. Great Barrier Island (New Zealand)→
Let’s start with the obvious part of the comparison then. King Island has without question the cooler name. However, in my opinion, Great Barrier Island (Aotea) can immediately even the score as it enjoys a warmer climate. The distance between Aotea and Auckland – by far the biggest city of New Zealand – is about 100 km and you can get there via plane or ferry. King Island’s closest major city is Melbourne and the distance between them is circa 260 km. Zoom into the Google Map insert at the top of this post and you will see that both islands are shaped quite similarly. Actually strikingly similar. Much longer than wide, stretching from south to north with beautiful and rugged beaches and bays on the east and west coasts. King Island is approximatively three times the size of Aotea, is considerably flatter and has a population density of 1.57 per square kilometre (about 1800) compared to 3 per square kilometre (930), respectively. It is going to get really interesting when you do a Google search for both island.
Let’s start off with fishing. It’s been a while since I planned a land based fishing mission. I was certainly keen, eager and excited whilst hiking to the headlands of Schooner Bay on Tuesday. I was also confident. After all, I haven’t had fish on the table for almost two months and was also looking forward to calling in at my mate’s place and presenting him with fresh snapper.
This lovely bridge decker left as I arrived at my designated fishing spot; I had the entire bay to myself.
