RATS!

Damn, this is not good. DOC have trapped 12 rats on the pristine stunning Ulva Island in Paterson Inlet on Stewart Island. This is a tragedy in the making. If they have caught 12 in a fortnight then there is a strong possiblity that there are hundreds already established on the sanctuary. Ulva is a window on what Stewart Island once was -alive with the haunting melody of a myriad of nativel birds and lush rich flora.

This is such a serious issue that there should be an inquiry into how it has happened. This sudden increase in the rat population makes one think that DOC has taken its eye off the ball. Its raison d'etre is to manage places like Ulva- to keep them predator free.

Accountability is required here. I hope the Minister Kate Wilkinson asks some hard questions.

The only good rat is a very dead rat.

A VERY GOOD FRIDAY

Today we took the Famous Falcon out for a spin. It's a cool old car. We are very pleased to have it back. We aren't car people, the two we have aren't worth as much as the John Deere Ride on lawnmower. I told Mum that today and she laughed - she reckons their 15 year old Toyota Camry isn't worth as much as their golf cart either. Just goes to show how we prioritise the things in our lives.
We ended up at the Mt Holdsworth camping ground. There were hundreds of people heading up the tracks to go camping for the weekend. We passed two young fellas pitching a couple of tents as their girls sat in the long grass the autumn sun burnishing their long brunette locks. Lucky girls, I thought, then they stood up and I realised that the girls were about 5 a piece. Dads and daughters camping by the river. Nice.

Anyway we wandered down the track aways and spied what our family has always referred to as Treetop Tegels. It was a fat woodpigeon. Very nice. There was snow on the Rimutakas and Tararuas. There is a nip in the air and the countryside is all gold yellow and plum.

New Zealand at its colourful best.