Natural Treasures Are Taonga

It rained all day, but I stepped out for some photos of the immense growth upon growth.

 

Here's a clip from the New Zealand Geographic piece What Price Do We Put on Heritage, about the sale of land to foreign investors. Read more here.

The varied landscape of this country shapes and defines us, sometimes inconveniently. We travel on slow, snaking roads, perch our homes upon steep sections, farm unyielding places. One city languishes in seismic uncertainty. Another amid 50 volcanic cones. Generations have struggled to make a living from wild places. For all that, New Zealanders are people for whom land matters, nourished by the beauty around them. Land and sea are never far below the surface of our national consciousness, emerging as a dominant metaphor in our art and music and literature...

Te reo gives us words to speak of our special connection to the land. Natural treasures are taonga. It’s hard to define this word in English, forcing us to explore the concept, considering the dimensions of mutuality with nature.

For dinner, a raw salad with bleu cheese.