Wikipedia Volunteers need thanks

Posted to 19th May to Jesse Mulligan Radio New Zealand Afternoons

 Jessie,
 I Love that the Department on Conservation is setting up a team to Catalog NZs indigenous Fauna
I try to Volunteer some of my spare time to getting more of Fiordland National Park on the Internet.
I have added to Wikipedia in the past but it is awkward for one with limited resources as you need reference details from actual Published Material
And supply your own photographs put into pubic dominion, if you have news cutting with no date they are not useable.. And most modern news print is about sensation and not boring facts or History.
Also Journalist can speculate and get printed but that is not a tool one can use on Wikipedia.

Still, Good on all the Volunteers that keep this grand Idea of Communal Knowledge alive  you deserve some kind acknowledgement.. 

Farewell Fiordland Advocate Newspaper 2016

Posted 7th May 2016 to the Southern Advocate Newspaper Te Anau Southland NZ

 It is sad to see the end of the Fiordland Advocate Newspaper, it was fun while it lasted having a
Te Anau Newspaper
Good luck to the Advocate South (technically South & West)   I can see the agricultural sector had a need for print media that the Southland tourism sector couldn’t match
which is a shame because Tourism has so much more “zing”  and the Advocate did a good job of showcasing our region to visitors perhaps in the Tourist Season the
Fiordland Advocate can come back with it’s more vibrant mast head as an “insert” just like the farming pages use to be in days past..

New Zealand's Fiordland National Park Strategy 2016

Posted 6th March 2016 to the Southland Times Newspaper Invercargill NZ

Last Fridays Edition of the Southland Times evokes some comment I think.
With budget airfares bringing more young people with very little or no spending money to NZ we have to
consider how we deal with them to keep them out of trouble. The Department of Conservation has been great at
providing budget campsites on an industrial scale but there are no real Budget Walks of Boat Trips in our National Parks.

It is worth mentioning that our Government has been actively cutting back maintenance services to Lesser Tracks and Huts
and that all the promotional focus has been on Great Walks big name hikes.

Also in this region the call for a proper Winter Track in Fiordland has been dismissed, forcing people into the Alpine Danger Zones

To me the sad thing is that we once promoted “People in Parks” as a national pastime now we only get Rich People in Parks,
and young people or working kiwis and guest workers are left out in the cold by our so called representatives.   

Louis and Lemieux died on the Jackson Peaks for several reasons. One should not be because they had a desire for adventure.

Antarctic & Fiordland Center Christchurch

Posted 30th November 2015 to the Mountain Scene Newspaper Queenstown

The Purchase of the Antarctic Center in Christchurch by Real Journeys is a great chance to showcase Fiordland National Park and Real Journey’s Tourism Products

The Les Hutchins Trust Originally wanted to show case Fiordland in the Town of Te Anau but the numbers did not Work well... 

Ideally the Airport at Christchurch will be a much greater venue opportunity for such a venture
Especially if attached to the Antarctic Center... Parts of the Te Anau Glow Worm Caves would be easy enough to copy... Go back in time on the Steamer Tawera to the Milford Track, Relive the Excavation of the Homer Tunnel Tunnel, Experience Fiordland and Queenstown with 360 degree cinema screens.. Build a Scale Diorama of the Manapouri Power Project, Explore the Marine life in the Depths of Milford Sound.. ? A Prefect Opportunity to fulfill the founders dream... And why not ?

Overcrowding at Milford Sound NZ

Posted 19th April 2015 to the Southand Times Newspaper Invercargill NZ.

 I see the day has dawned that The people charged with orchestrating  Milford Sound tourism are hearing discords that have been predicted for years now.

It seems Plan A to just pretend Southland tourism never ever evolves is not working so maybe it’s time to look at Plan B and take control of the Beast.
Again, for the Busy Summer Months, Place a Gate at Knobs Flat in the Eglinton Valley and Bus all tourists in from there to their connecting boats.
Unless they buy a Tramper Pass to use the Road to do walks or have booked accommodation.  Yes it would be great to collect tolls to pay for the other Park assets
Outside the “Golden” Milford Area and perhaps give Te Anau it’s much needed Interactive Heritage Museum or even Pay off our Ornamental Airport facilities.

Sadly It will be a hard thing to stop Central Government from taking the Money to blow Northwards.  But the Idea that we need to keep our tourism experience an organized pleasant one rather than a low budget free-for-all I think is still worth Considering at this point in the narrative.

I think the Word we are looking for here is QUALITY.  And that involves keen creative thinkers!

Ankh Morpork Peak NZ - Independent UK

Posted 17th March 2015 to the Independent UK London.

Years Ago I was asked if I knew of a city in New Zealand that would like to be the Twin City of Terry Pratchett’s Ankh Morpork.
I couldn’t think of any but I believe I found a Mountain Peak that might do.

 Maybe one day we should all believe that as in the words of Terry “Humans need fantasy to be Human”
“To be the place where the fallen angel meets the rising ape” we need to start believing the small things to believe the big things Justice, Mercy, Duty.

Terry was truly the most deserving heir of Tolkien and will live long in our hearts.

From Aaron Nicholson
 Manapouri  Historian NZ

William H Pickering - Memorial Pilgrimage NZ

Posted 23rd February 2015 to the Southland Times Newspaper Invercargill NZ

 Thank you Southland Times for your coverage of the historic visit of Sir William Hayward Pickering’s Daughter Beth Mezitt and Her Husband Wayne.

They where really impressed with Southland, Especially the Kepler Mountains. But my thanks goes out to NZ Geographic Board and the Department of Conservation for
making it all happen, and Te Anau Helicopter Services Pilot Daniel Harrison for getting us there and back !  And Beth’s Friend Elizebeth Harrington for Paying the bill.

Sir Bill had a lot of Great Friends, I hope they are inspired to visit as well.
Some are even Astronauts...

Oh and your photographer Barry Harcourt was impressive to see in action despite getting light hearted cheek from Senior Ranger Ken Bradley..

It certainly was a great day out.

Chasm of Despair - Fiordland National Park

Posted to the Fiordland Advocate Newspaper 23 February 2015

 A Chief Ranger once told me what a Burden it is running a National Park and being expected that every one in it will be safe from harm in it.
Just Lately I bet he is glad he no longer has that responsibility.
People forget Fiordland is a dangerous place and one must keep ones wits sharp in you want to get home to live another day. Every Bush walk can fool you if you stray too far
Especial at right angles, every waterway can be a pleasure or a Peril.
But people are spell bound to seek out our Wilderness and that means we have to present it in a way that is not only safe but satisfies the desire to explore and to photograph.
And though the Department of Conservation has done a great job for Mass Transit to the Chasm they sacrificed the Ambience it once had for the needs of the Tour Companies.

If you want to find the REAL (Milford) Chasm today you have to risk life and limb to see it.  There should be a second walkway for Nature Lovers to see the lower reaches that look magical on Camera. I think that falls in the mandate of a National Park Management dialogue. Same goes for the Bowen Falls, we don’t want to walk around the airport, Let us see the Darn Waterfall. Perhaps we have to put up signs outside the Park that it is in-fact a wilderness and you are on your own if things go wrong. That’s the deal with Wilderness. It’s a bit Wild and Natural Selection Rules there.

Backstory - Fiordland 1080 scare

FIY Backstory Southland Times News Desk 28th September 2014

I read on your Front page yesterday that Fish and Game are arguing with DOC about the public eating fish from 1080 effected areas in Southland.
I have been expecting to see a front page headline POISONED judging from local Fiordland gossip but I thought it would read Lake Manapouri POISONED, not Toxic Swedes.
There are some in DOC that think warning signs should be posted about toxic Trout but they are not allowed to break rank and talk to the media or they will loose their jobs

As a Person in the Tourist industry we get a portion of our income from the lucrative Fishing business generated by our pristine near perfect wilderness and If we get a bad wrap
Over 1080 it will never go away, DOC dose not understand, Toxins like 1080 are Feared no matter how diluted they get or how long they have to dissipate...

And they Plan to do this every time there is a Beech Mast ? BTW locals agree there was NO sign of a massive Beech Flowering this time around so is DOC incompetent or doing some thing sinister?  History says almost all evil from Government Departments is from incompetence... But I will let you decide on that.

To me It seems more like blind arrogance.

I asked and they do not know how many Yellowheads they are protecting in the Iris Burn Valley... they might have cost the Taxpayer 100k
Per Bird ! Or More

There is a chance the 1080 can kill them all as well as the Bats, and definitely Hawks and Falcon WILL die as well as any Weka in the area as will they all eat dying rodents,
This is all known to DOC but they also know in the Wilderness there is no one to hold them to account.

This is all a seriously stupid game to play.

Te Anau's Silly Sewage Sceme

Posted 20th September 2014 to the Fiordland Advocate Te Anau NZ

 If you think about it Te Anau Sewage Answer is staring at it in the face.. Native Beech Forest is Idea suited to absorb Nutriments for waste water and there are No People there to be offended by it.

Clearly if we can Dump 1080 all over it then Waste Water should be far less environmentally intrusive to wildlife and after all we got’ta put the National Park to use for something if you cant fish shoot or safely walk through it.
The Kepler Mountains would be Perfect and if you play it right  any surplus waste water could drift safely out to sea via the Manapouri Power Station and make some extra electricity Into the bargain !

Come on Southland District Council, where is your plucky spirit, a true Heath Robinson sewage system Is like the Movie “Field of Dreams” Let’s Build it and People will Come to use it.  let Nature deal with the pesky microbes.

Southland Times - 1080 Conspiracy 2014

Posted 30th August 2014 to the Southland Times Invercargill NZ

To sooth the concerns of Southlanders about the unprecedented 1080 Drop in the Iris Burn Valley in Fiordland I took the liberty of
Channeling a Conspiracy Theorist to find out what is really going on.

As I discovered Years ago the Department of Conservation is a perfect Cover for a
Sinister Secret Government Agency, doing Secret X file type project disguised as harmless Bird Recovery Projects.. Projects that no one questions... Or Monitors..

The recent 1080 Drop has got to be one such event. In-fact the so called Beech Mast has not happened as no one has seen the trees flower this last summer
And the Rodent Emergency is something to do with an unexplained Explosion that literally Vaporized a large area of Trees in the Valley in 1984 .

The 1080 Drop is a cover for a urgently conceived “Sweep Up” operation before the Tourist come back and it also has the Benefit of Discouraging Sportsmen from the area.
The Black Radio Mast on top of Mount Tinsley is another interesting feature that DOC Staff claim to have no knowledge of.. But it is more than likely to be part of a Clandestine
Mountain Top Research Facility or for Monitoring of some unexplained phenomenon such as Bats that suddenly appeared from nowhere in the Valley in 2012 Near the Site of the
Vaporization also known as “the Big Slip” A name that has never been explained properly, a Slip in Time or a Dimensional Slip? I think there are some Dark Secrets to this story : )

Notice the harmless Pre-Drop of Bait too place under tight security at the Airport and took ages, the Actual Poison Bated took place on a cloudy day for flying with less Helicopters in less time and from an run down Barn Off the Supply Bay Road... What was that all bout? And why was the Mayor apparently not informed that the Council Airport was sealed off to the Public?  Why has DOC never acknowledged the visit of top Texas Scientist Brian Tinsley and his Son from Washington to the Valley in Dec 2011? All Good fodder for Conspiracy Guys!

Fiordland Advocate - 1080 Kepler Birdsong

Posted 31st of July 2014 to the Fiordland Advocate Te Anau

With the immanent Bombardment of the Kepler Mountains and the Iris Burn Valley with Chemical Toxins from the Department of Conservation
There are a couple of things I would like to ask, What about the Iris Burn Bat Colony ? Isn’t that going to take a direct hit?
Also the “Kids restore the Kepler” seems to be a bit redundant if the pristine environment takes a knock like the Chemical drop that is due shortly.

Hasn’t Nature started sorting out kind of order with introduced species ? What are the unintended Consequences? Mice eat Beach Mast yes but they also eat
Insects such as Wasp larva and the Trout and Eels Eat the Mice.. I don’t know what happens when you add Toxin to the Food Chain but something will happen.
I would expect an imbalance at the very least.

 

ODT - Garry Tong's Big Mayoral Challenge

Posted to the Otago Daily Times Dec 1st 2013

As I see it Garry Tong, the New Mayor of Southland, has to deal with Southland’s shabby Image Problem rather than Cutting Deals with South Westland to attract tourists to the region, especially the regions greatest asset... Fiordland National Park. I have two Pictures here one is how Southland Promotes Fiordland National Park and the other is a New Zealand Tourism promotional advertising poster seen all over the world... Spot the Difference !

Vs...

And New Zealands Preimier Wilderness Experience, Doubtful Sound:

Te Anau's Mayoral Yacht Departs

Posted 28 Aug 2013 to the Fiordland Advocate

It was the end of an era and a surprise to see the Late Murray Cardno’s Yacht Manuska at the Manapouri Motor Inn ready to get carted off to Dunedin (and then on to Sydney Austrailia)
I always thought if The Manuska was to reach the Sea it would have been via Lake Manapouri but over the Wilmot pass to Deep Cove.
A pity As she would have Made a Good Sight on Lake Manapouri!

Ironically it is Manapouri that could do the best job of remembering the Manuska if the Council Takes up my recommendation that the un-named Wetland Reserve at the New Motorau heights Subdivision is to be named after our Retiring District Mayor’s Childhood Nick Name.

Milford Tunnel - Skytrail Reboot

Christine Mc Donald Otago Daily Times 5th Dec 2012

A proposal to establish a Caples Valley gondola may be revisited after a new report ranked it the highest of 12 options to access Milford Sound.

The MWH report, commissioned by Environment Southland, assessed proposals, both active and inactive, based on risks and opportunities.

Two proposals, the Fiordland Link Monorail and the Milford Dart Tunnel - both being considered by Department of Conservation operations deputy director Sue Cosford - ranked third and fifth respectively.

Listed second was the mandatory park and ride option, a shuttle bus which was mooted to reduce congestion on both the Milford road and viewing points.

Based on the findings, the Sky Trail Milford Gondola, initially proposed by Skyline Enterprises Ltd and Ngai Tahu in 2001, ''has the highest overall score'', the report said.

Skyline Enterprises managing director Ken Matthews yesterday said he was unaware of the report, but based on its conclusion it would be ''appropriate'' to revisit the proposal.

The 12.6km gondola, estimated to cost up to $110 million to build, was to carry 900 passengers an hour, with a one-way journey taking about 35 minutes.

It would have reduced the 12-hour round trip by about three hours.

''There was a change to the management plan, or the Conservation Act, ...that precluded the [project eventuating]."

Mr Matthews said yesterday he had not had time to think about revisiting the gondola proposal or talk to Ngai Tahu, but it was ''food for further consideration''.

''We always maintained it had the lowest impact on the environment of any of those other means of access ... to Milford''.

''In light of what you've told us, then we would want to have another look at it; it would be appropriate to do so."

Environment Southland policy and planning manager Ken Swinney said the report was ''mainly to inform Environment Southland of its transport strategy'' but noted access to Milford Sound was a hot topic.

While the gondola option scored highly, the report was ''not about picking winners''.

''It has ranked the highest based against the ... criteria that we used. We did not take into account if it was financially viable. All we have done is rank apples with apples."

He said the gondola was still an option ''should those people wish to activate it''.

The report resulted from publicly available information, and, as such, the gondola option had significant information gaps and uncertainties because it had ''got to a certain point in time and then nothing [further] publicly has happened to it''.

While the report said there was ''significant uncertainties over the affordability and consentability'' for both the monorail and gondola, they ''tended to score well for all except the environmental criteria''.

Among the criteria used to assess the options were long and short-term impacts on the environment, overall tourist experience, economic impact for both local communities and Southland, and national and international image.

Milford Dart Ltd director Michael Sleigh said he had not seen the report but ''looked forward to seeing it and commenting when it's available''.

Both the Milford Dart Tunnel and Fiordland Link Monorail have been approved in principle, but Doc media adviser Reuben Williams said yesterday a final decision on the proposals may be ''some time off''.

Ultimately the Gondola could be replaced by a mere 4km Road Tunnel thus makeing the Hollyford Dart Tunnel 

a somewhat expensive mistake.

Air New Zealand - Kelper Birdsong Project

Hot Topic Section - Fiordland Advacate Newspaper - 13 June 2013

Sometimes it takes an Idea to tie a bunch of loose ends together and make something that helps everybody. I see one of the Fiordland Trails Trusts Ideas could do this for Te Anau, taking to need for a Winter Attraction an easy grade walkway, A family Cycle Way and showcase both the Kepler Birdsong and the Pomona Island Wildlife Restoration Projects while creating a better way of maintaining them.


It’s the Idea of Refurbishing the redundant and existing track line with plus a few new bits making a Cycleway from the Hidden lakes Warf , lake Te Anau to
the Pomona Isthmus at Hurricane Passage Lake Manapouri via the Forest Burn valley and Lake Westmere. 

Air New Zealand, who funds the Birdsong could hardly say no to not only making A Wonderful Winter Cycle Trail for Te Anau from beefing up it’s Trap-line Network But also giving work to the Seasonal Workers and Tourist Launches that would be required to Showcase their exceptional Bird Song Concept to the world. 

Tolkien's Mountain NZ on Google Maps

There is now a Map of the Lost Tolkien Mountains of Fiordland New Zealand
in the Spectacular Earl Mountains Near Milford Sound.

http://goo.gl/maps/fH1Yc