Mokihinui: Not for Sale
Wed, 16 Jun 2010 11:46 am – Posted by Mandy | 3 Comments
Blogger: Forest & Bird’s South Island Regional Officer, Debs Martin.
Back in the mid 2000s, after hearing rumours of a possible hydro-scheme, I was assigned the (tough!) task of visiting the Mokihinui River.
Our South Island Conservation Advocate, Debs Martin (top right), gets aquainted with the Mokihinui river.
A few months later, I was set adrift on a raft, and found myself thundering over and around gigantic boulders tossed into the valley from earthquakes.
As we bucked and romped over the white water, I caught glimpses of rimu standing like sentinels above the colluvial flats, rata festooned with kiekie and long-finned eels threatening our raft.
Paddling through the steep limestone and granite gorges, the scene before us was re-drawn at every bend, as the West coast weather did its best to surprise, baffle and disarm us.