Farming

Personally, this is one of my more interesting blips, and one driven from indecisiveness! Which one to blip, and a collage, I never do those!

My last day in Wanaka I woke up early, too tired for a bike ride so I wandered out to shoot the Alpacas at sunrise (lower left). Then I did some work and shot over the hill to Queenstown for several meetings (many photos but none of farming ;-). Then in the car at 4 and headed back to Christchurch. It's nearly 500km but a drive a I love. I'd far rather drive than fly.

The Mackenzie is a core feature of the drive back. A magnificent high country area, that many (me included) would say is sadly being converted. Tussockland is being irrigated and cows now live here in summer (they are trucked away in winter as it is freezing). The irrigation helps make the land productive, but most likely is going to help pollute the relatively pristine waterways. (top left)

Worse still, there is an application at present for a series of farms holding 18 000 cows in sheds, factory farming, that will produce as much effluent every day as 250 000 households it is said. And this is in a fragile high country environment. So much for clean green NZ I am afraid. I seriously hope it doesn't go ahead and the conversion of high country to farmland doesn't occur. (top right). Yes, the land is privately owned, but that doesn't give the land owners the right to a. Use a FREE public good (water) to stuff up the waterways and the environment. Yes, it makes me very mad.

Aside from that, a great drive enjoying a new favourite album, arriving in Canterbury at dusk (9pm) and more cows, yes as you guessed it, on irrigated land and stuffing up the waterways.

A stunning day for photography and driving, aside from the rather melancholic environmental thoughts ...

<sigh>

Best seen in large!