Like all sequels this was not as good as the first, even though it was full of promise with its "canopy walkway". We had a lot of the same elements as the first outing, we had the same cast, and some of the features of the genre were becoming very apparent, such as, the kids who complain at the start but then enjoy it. In this sequel it was not that the nature that was bad. It was stunning in that "wow, when I really stop and look at this nature business, instead of walking past it in a hustle and bustle of everyday life and not notice it, it really is quite special" kind of way. And it is not that the company was bad, I really like going walking with my sister and her boys. We get to chat and they get to play. It was the disparity between the maps, the sign posts and the paths that was not so great. The maps seemed to be missing a vast number of the paths that we stumbled across, meaning we did a lot of stumbling and returning down paths already beaten.
The second thing that I did not like so much in this sequel was the intrusions of modern life in my 'nature' walk. Such as the native growing pylons amongst the ferns, or the manhole covers that were like stepping stones or dropped bread crumbs showing you the way along one path (why do you need manholes in a nature reserve?) Along the path with the modern day breadcrumbs there were multiple bits of metal sticking out through the mud. It was like it used to be a rubbish dump and the rubbish is slowly clawing its way back up to the surface. Saddled up nonchalantly to the rocks in the stream, desperately trying to be part of its natural surroundings, was a space saver tyre. It seemed to want to shed its bright orange rim, change its identity and become something natural and not man made. Even though we made jokes about the non natural things we saw as we went along, I must say I did find it disappointing, I went on this walk to escape such things. But maybe it is a good reminder of how we need to treat our natural settings with much more care.
If you went to that bastardization called Zealandia in Karori, then I'm not surprised you saw evidence of modern intrusions. The whole area has been altered to make it look more "natural". If they didn't keep draining it, it'd return to swampland.
ReplyDeleteNo it was the Otari-Wilton walk. With that recommendation I won't attempt the Zealandia - especially since you have to pay to go to that one.
ReplyDeleteZealandia is worth a look, though I haven't been there for a while.
ReplyDeleteIt's sort of like Jurassic Park without the dinosaurs.
"It's sort of like Jurassic Park without the dinosaurs. "
ReplyDeleteYou mean it's a park?
Or
A small island in a tropical ocean?
Or
An empty CGI studio?
It's the name change that annoys me- what was wrong with Karori Wildlife Sanctuary? It's factual, straight and lacking in metal bits.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Nicola. Karori Wildlife Sanctuary is a better name. Zealandia sounds contrived. I arranged the Banrock Station sponsorship of the walkways and mammal-proof fence some years ago. I haven't visited for some years and it concerns me that things may have changed for the worse.
ReplyDelete