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Saturday, January 06, 2018

WTF? - #001 in a series

In yesterday's rag:
the storm lashing the country will create the perfect conditions for kauri dieback to spread in the Waitākere Ranges, an Auckland iwi says.

Te Kawerau a Maki performed a rāhui ceremony in early December to help stop the spread of kauri dieback in the West Auckland rainforest. 

A rāhui is a form of tapu restricting access to an area.

WTF?  I'd say they're another group looking for a cash handout whilst trying to enforce Stone Age practices with zero mandate believing they are witnessing another New Zealand species extinction.

with hundreds of visitors still visiting the 16,000 hectare forest, ... the wet conditions were perfect for spreading the killer disease

The general public rightly thinks "Up yours!".    Also the local council is having a bob each way sitting on the fence knowing the the public will never wear full closure whilst trying to pander to the natives.

I've always wondered how the Agatha Australis weeds that infest many a Titirangi section seem to thrive with zero dieback evidence in spite of close human contact on puggy clay.  They seem to survive OK even with trespassing rabid feral greenies roosting in them.

Their bigger cousins up the road are apparently succumbing to an early grave.  Maybe it's the natural cycle of such forest giants.  All that tens-of-centuries-old swamp kauri had to come from somewhere.


Thursday, January 04, 2018

Deluded MSM: "Monster storm" [updated]

Been lightly raining in these parts since 0230.  Nothing unexpected, even under the solid blue rain radar of Metservice.  Barely 20mm in 8 hours, the farm drains have only just filled with running water in the past hour.  Unfortunately looks like it will ease in a couple of hours, it is almost clear of the murder capital of NZ (Kaitaia).

Campers in West Auckland and Coromandel have been told to evacuate or risk being caught up in a monster storm due to hit the region today

So much for the media beatup of a monster storm.  Certainly no Bola or Giselle, barely worth getting wet to check things like water tanks are functioning.  And zero wind - 10 knots at the most.

A load of media bollocks looking to fill the holiday pages of their rags.

[update]
A total of 85mm over a day and half.  Looks to be clearing from the West, a couple of half decent sub 50 knots puffs.  So much for the "monster" - nothing to get exercised over - an expected and normal easterly for this time of the year.

Enjoyed the idiot box entertainment seeing nutters living on low lying coastal land waiting for the cavalry to arrive and fix their now flooded overpriced baches.  Ever thought of moving away from the eroding seafront?

And to keep the "it's all climate change fault" meme going at full steam, Taxcinda has an article.  When it gets to around 100 knots + I'll take notice of weather.

Tuesday, January 02, 2018

The hordes depart



Summer Hols are at an end in the Far North today as the lemmings queue to rush southward to service those Jafaland mortgages.

Already in the dogbox...


Happy New Year!