Save Happy Valley!

17-19 November 2007
A group came in (including my nearest and dearest Megan) for a camp working bee over the Canterbury Show weekend. We pulled down the yurt, built up a base with rocks and faced the door east to catch the sun and miss the rain. Had to do a bit of head scratching to figure out the best was to put it back up. Note to the Council: it is a temporary structure and we do not need resource consent so go away and do some worthwhile work. I slapped up a new table since the old one was on its - ahhh - last legs . . . Did not a bad job given the situation but it is not as “rustic” as the old one. We left Greg at camp and headed out under cloudless skies.

14 November 2007
Went for a walk over to the Blackburn Pakahi to the north of Happy Valley. It would be a nice area if it was not for rutted 4WD tracks all over the show, stuff from old mining operations, litter, burnt out car seats and all sorts of rubbish showing that some people just DO NOT CARE about things.

13 November 2007
Rain day. Been good weather until now.

8 November 2007
Pete, Francie and Greg headed off leaving me alone with the wekas. I have never seen the little buggers as cheeky as they are here in Happy Valley. I will never forget the time when a weka dragged off a three day old tramping sock while we were bivvying in the bush over in Kahurangi National Park. What was it thinking? Why did it want a toxic, sweaty sock? Anyway, the wekas here at the camp are always on the prowl. If you are not careful they steal your lunch out of your hand. They seem to like tea leaves as well. Decided to stay in the valley another week - have to work on my relationship with the wekas.

7 November 2007
Another few visitors. Francie and Pete walked in separately during the afternoon. Greg took Francie and I on a neat walk to a plateau to the south of Webb Stream. We were up there in the late afternoon and early evening and the combination of the landscape with the sun low in the sky made it quite a magic place. Problem was that looking north we can see what is remaining of Mt Fredrick being hauled away as part of the Stockton mine operation. There was a lot of dead trees, and these are BIG trees, that were dead in one of the guts heading down into Webb Stream off the mine site. Looks like they are hit with acid mine drainage or siltation. Got back to the camp late to find that Pete had arrived and boiled up the thermette.

5 November 2007
Greg came in during the afternoon. Just as well that I was wearing clothes at the time.

3 November 2007
Did stuff like oiled the tools, fixed handles on things that needed handles fixed and spent ages designing a candle holder made from a tin can.

1 November 2007
I headed into Happy Valley for a week at the camp. Headed out onto the track with a pack load of food and a stack of books. Not feeling too fit - might be the heavy pack or too much time spent sitting on my arse. I sweated my way up the sandstone bits marveling at how the sandstone underfoot is the grippiest rock I have ever tramped on. The extensive sandstone pavement is a weathered, lichen encrusted grey. It is yet another unique corner of New Zealand. The track had been nicely rerouted to avoid all the muddy bits which makes the tramp a little easier and so I made it to the camp in good time. Dylan, who had been occupying the camp, left things in good order and left a note saying that his stay was pretty neat. That night I heard the weka, ruru and kiwi calling which is just a little bit nicer than the sounds of boy-racers and sirens in the city.

Another mint day perched next to a global treasure. The occupation is now replete with the alpine butterfly! Yep campers, G & S led us to victory over the truckers hitch. We even got a mission to St Pat’s dam where the Mollymawks live. There was about 100 of them and heaps of olive green and dark brown spotted eggs! Ake ake ake Happy Valley fans!

That Orange Hughes 300 just shot around the campsite for a look. Fuck, they must be more boring than us.

2nd Sept
We woke up to the news from the Western land that Greenpeace had tagged a tramp-steamer - in Chinese! Cool. Maybe we could do some deal with them like totally toning down Xmas in return for not strippin and rippin our wild places?

3rd Sept
After a cold night, the morning was dry and warm. The predicted heavy weather is coming in. So what better conditions for an adventure stroll? We are the people of the alpine blog. We have muddy boots! And wet backs. See you in court Solid Enemy.

AS I PECK AWAY AT THE CELL PHONE

2 HUGE BANKS OF CLOUD

TUMBLE TOWARDS ONE ANOTHER

AND PRESS.

THE LIGHT IS SHADOWLESS.

2 WESTERN WEKA ARE

SWIRLING AROUND

TOO.

Its better than bad, its good... Well friends. What a week, ERMA’s decision to continue 1080 aerial drops, supported by Forest and Bird and opposed by the Deer Stalkers Assoc. Must be the elegant illustration of innate value of surviving functional ecosystems. These pristine ‘wild places’ could be left and whatever value they have will, no doubt, appreciate. Or we could keep trying the book - keeping that has taken us here. A place where order [SP: needs?] to check the balancesheet of past and present industry, vast areas of ‘our’ natural forests are dosed with poison. That will be fate of Happy Valley, for ever more, if it is scraped aside into over-burden dumps, sediment dams, re-hab areas and haul roads.

But we don’t have to condemn the seams of coal in the Brunner coal measures to the coking retorts of Japan and China for meagre foreign exchange and look a little further ahead. I wonder if Humpty Dumpty was a kiwi egg? X the occupants.

1 August 2007
FAR OUT! IS THIS PLACE REAL? EVYTHG FROZEN LST NIGHT INCLDG BOOTS. JAUNT UP TO THE MINE B4 LUNCH. MEGA VIZ. AFT READING BONE PEOPLE LST NIGHT I HAD JUST HAD TO TRY FRIED BLACK PUDDING KERI HULME ROCKS! THEN IT WAS OFF UP THE WEBB STREAM TO SCOPE OUT THE AREA. COME AN CHK THS OUT THESE COAL MEASURES RULE!

27 July
Its situation normal here at shv rescue station. We are hunkered down. Moonlit nature rambles. X

29 July
Ahoy hoy. The haul road from Mt Frederick seems to glow…

30 July
Bloggy blog blog... We read the Weathermakers last night. By candelight. We learnt a new phrase “global dimming.” Fecking perfect we mused

31 July
Brrr...Brrlog. Rivers up, mud thawed. This picnic no picnic

P.S. Up at Augustus. The ridgeline is gone...

P.P.S. Coming soon to Christchurch.
Email savehappyvalley@yahoo.com for more info.

Winter is usually wet in Happy Valley, but it can also be dry and very cold.

We’re getting heavy frosts and each day, when the sun goes off the camp about 2.30pm, a chill sets in.
This is when I go for a walk in the warm bright forest across the valley, until this too falls into shadow.

At night, the Milky Way is so clear it looks like a band of fine cloud stretching across the sky from one horizon to the other.

I hear weka calling, but no kiwi. This is unusual for HV, as I mostly hear kiwi some time in the night. Its nesting time, so perhaps this has something to do with it.

Our camp is very shipshape and remarkably comfortable.

Our weka visited and stole half a pear I was eating from the tabletop where I thought it would be safe
I left Happy Valley just as the sun was coming over the range, making the frost-filled valley floors dazzling white against the dark Mt William Range.

As the manuka warms, fernbirds begin chirping.

Last week around fifty people gathered at Riverside Community hall for a feast, party and celebration for the protection of the Powelliphanta Augustus snail. It was an enlivened and beautiful evening decorated with informative art work and a stall, reggae tunes, drumming and plates of multi-colours as all enjoyed a banquet of fresh food prepared with care and love.

The celebration was organised by the Motueka SHV contingent with local supporters and friends. Surrounding gardens were represented with a lot of local produce and food donated, and the evening was supported by many local orchardists and community members.

Following a blessing and a meal there was a chance for people to gather, talk and learn before the short film about Happy Valley was shown. Tara spoke afterwards outlining the latest news from both the Happy Valley and Mount Augustus occupations. She encouraged people to become involved, either with occupying/visiting the area, becoming locally active or with the many other facets of campaigning around the country.

As the evening passed, the kids were still full of energy so they played some games for which prizes and certificates had been made…and some of the big big kids joined in too! Snail cake and hot drinks were served and plenty of divine spirulina shots were consumed, made with local organic apple juice.

Along with Little Dread representing on decks, there was music from live band Uenuku Rainbow feeding the revelling and dancing that continued into the night. They shone with their snail song which received a hearty encore.

For organisers and many people there, it was a chance to send vibrations and support to the snails and activists on Mt Augustus and to celebrate what it is we are campaigning for - biodiversity, harmony and endemic life. For others from the diverse ages represented, it was a chance to learn more about these issues and to fuel discussion and action!

After expenses, $420 was raised for SHVC and Augustus from the koha entry, drink sales and clothing and patches printed by the local crew.

An awesome evening supported and enjoyed by many!

SHVC has put out a mock 2006 "Environment Report" on behalf of Solid Energy.

Check it out here: http://indymedia.org.nz/media/all/display/8988

Solid Energy lodged interim injunction and defamation proceedings in the high court!Which simply prooves how bullish they are. And how important greenwash is to this SOE.

Read the report!

Solid Energy destroying the Mt Augustus ridgeline [Photo taken from Happy Valley]