Once again, I find myself writing about a place that I hold great affection for, after it has been devastated by a natural disaster [see also: Christchurch - a city haunted by its environmental past]. This time the north-east of Japan, where a tsunami (tidal wave) of up to 10 metres high struck the eastern coast, following the magnitude 8.9 earthquake of 11 March. (more…)
March 2011
Monthly Archive
March 13, 2011
Nature strikes again – beautiful Tohoku’s coastal towns devastated by tsunami
Posted by envirohistorynz under commentary | Tags: 11 March 2011, Ainu, Asiatic black bear, Christchurch earthquake, coastal towns, earthquake, Hayachine Shrine, Iwate, Japan, Jomon, Kamaishi, map of Tohoku, Miyako, New Zealand, Ofunato, Rikuzentakata, tidal wave, Tohoku, tsunami, Yamadera Temple, Yayoi |[6] Comments
March 12, 2011
When is a lake not a lake? The case of Lake Karapiro
Posted by envirohistorynz under commentary | Tags: electricity generation, Fairfield Bridge, Hamilton, Lake Karapiro, Lake Taupo, land confiscation, land wars, Maori, Mount Ruapehu, pollution, raupatu, rowing, spiritual connection with rivers, Tainui, Tasman Sea, Treaty of Waitangi, Waikato, Waikato River, Waikato-Tainui |Leave a Comment
On a recent trip from Rotorua to Hamilton, I stopped to look at what I thought at the time was a section of Waikato River, just west of State Highway 1, south-east of Cambridge [click here to view map]. Waikato River is New Zealand’s longest river, running 425 kms from its source on the slopes of Mount Ruapehu, through Lake Taupo, New Zealand’s largest lake, then flowing through the Waikato Plains before emptying into the Tasman Sea. I was therefore surprised to see a sign at a jetty informing me that this was in fact a lake – Lake Karapiro.
But something didn’t add up – it seemed remarkably “river-like” for a lake. (more…)
