Today is the three-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. On that day, pandemonium struck. People fled with a few belongings, often, only what they could carry – and typically their pets. Despite leaving their homes, perhaps for good, and having to absolutely prioritise – countless people chose to include their cats… Continue reading Ukraine: War and Wonders – Cats and Dogs.
Ukraine: War and Wonders – The Dnipro – Ukraine’s ‘National River’
Rivers, big rivers. They can be political borders – think of the Rhine – when it marked the ‘civilised’ Roman Empire to the south, from the dark world of the ‘barbarians’ to the north. Or big rivers can become the arteries of countries. Think of the Mississippi. They can flicker back and forwards between these… Continue reading Ukraine: War and Wonders – The Dnipro – Ukraine’s ‘National River’
Dunedin’s Ghost-Forests in 1901
When a forest is dead, but somehow still there – either as bleached stumps, and felled, and possibly burnt trunks, I call it a ghost-forest. There were vast areas of ghost-forest (or ‘ghost-bush’ if you like) throughout New Zealand in the 19th century (see Envirohistory NZ’s post: ‘Scorched forest farm – Wildbore cache no.7‘ for… Continue reading Dunedin’s Ghost-Forests in 1901
The Lost Bush of South Dunedin
We owe so much of what we know of early Dunedin to just a few artists! Up till 1850, there’s only a dozen or so publicly accessible images of what the place looked like, and four of those, that I know of, are by members of the Valpy family.. William and Caroline Valpy came to… Continue reading The Lost Bush of South Dunedin
Deans Bush–Pūtaringamotu and the Mystery of the Missing Tree Ferns
Tree ferns are indicators of a consistently pretty wet climate. In New Zealand-Aotearoa, if you look closely (and not too closely if you’re driving) as you go over Haast Pass from the Lake Wanaka side to the West Coast, tree ferns go from zero, to abundant. The massive increase in rainfall to the west of… Continue reading Deans Bush–Pūtaringamotu and the Mystery of the Missing Tree Ferns
I Meet a Famous Ghost — New Zealand’s Vulcan Hotel
The Ghost of a young prostitute Locals know that Room 1 of the old Vulcan Hotel, in the tiny village (permanent population in single figures) of St Bathans, New Zealand, is haunted. It’s generally thought to be the ghost of a young prostitute, murdered during the gold mining days of the 1880s. My family aren’t… Continue reading I Meet a Famous Ghost — New Zealand’s Vulcan Hotel
The Immolation of Waimate Bush, Canterbury, New Zealand
In the court case following the 1878 fire that virtually annihilated Waimate Bush, a witness described the wind conditions as “a hurricane” (The Lyttelton Times, 25 June, 1879). A lawyer, seeking a definition of ‘hurricane’ was given: “a very strong wind indeed; a wind that blew no one any good”. His Honor, Mr Justice Johnston,… Continue reading The Immolation of Waimate Bush, Canterbury, New Zealand
The Lost Taieri/Taiari Bush, near Dunedin, New Zealand
![A green patch indicating the location of what was the Taieri Bush -cropped from 'Crown Grant Index Records Map. Taieri [and Waihola] Survey District. Constructed October 1859'. Archives New Zealand Item R10302830_01. (Creative Commons BY 2.0 license)](https://mikepole.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Taieri-Bush-R10302830-2050.jpg)
Leads to New Zealand’s ‘lost forests’ turn up in all sorts of places. I was in the Dunedin Public Library when I came across the wonderful book ‘Under the Eye of the Saddle Hill Taniwha’ by Sharron Bray, Graeme Thomas, and Victor MacGill (1998). Their book reproduces an 1847 map of the Taieri (preferred spelling… Continue reading The Lost Taieri/Taiari Bush, near Dunedin, New Zealand
My Submission on the proposed Fast Track Approvals Bill
My Submission I thank the Environment Select Committee for the opportunity to make a submission on the Fast-track Approvals Bill – at least this aspect of the democratic process appears to remain. I reject entirely the proposed Fast Track Approvals Bill (henceforth, the ‘Fast Track Bill). I wish to make the following comments. I am… Continue reading My Submission on the proposed Fast Track Approvals Bill
A Crimean Gothic Woman from the Seventh Century
Crimea, Goths and Archaeology The indigenous people of Crimea are generally regarded as the ‘Crimean Tartars’. But Crimea has older identities than that…. For example, the ‘Crimean Goths‘. The Goths were one of the identities on the move around Europe in the ‘Migration Period’. Their origin is murky, but is often regarded as being in… Continue reading A Crimean Gothic Woman from the Seventh Century