Oil spill worsens as the Rena starts to crack.

Jo Bryant

It is hard to focus on anything else but what is happening to where I live at the moment.

For more about the spill click on this link.

For more from me on this see:

What the hell is going on with the Rena and the New Zealand media ???

The Rena finally breaks apart.

Published by Jo Bryant

I was born in the land of Banjo Paterson, gum trees, and weather extremes. I am a freelance photographer. I love to make images that make people happy. To capture forever a precious moment. I am also a freelance writer/editor. I live in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, but still like to claim my Australian heritage. I graduated with a Bachelor of Communications in 2008. I am writing my first novel. I love to write poetry, short stories, and also write for the web. And there is nothing that is on a par with a sunny summer's day spent at Waihi Beach.

26 Comments

  1. This happened in Britain and about 100 containers washed ashore, people opened them and took what they wanted.

    The things i see missing are booms to stop the oil coming to shore and a ship to suck the oil of the top of the sea, also the lack of workers and locals.

    Its the wildlife that gets the worst all the time and i hope there are people ready to help them.

    Like

    1. There are no booms – no ship to suck the oil. We have nothing like that to help with problems such as this and are reliant on overseas aid. It is crazy we have no real plan of action in ready for this type of disaster. A while back the NZ government had the chance to purchase a tug that could also take oil off striken ships such as the Rena and they said no, we don’t really need it.
      The damn Captain and it looks like his crew were celebrating his birthday it seems. they had him in court and gave him EITHER a $10,000 fine OR a year in prison.
      WTF??? He should be in prison right now for what he has done.
      There are a lot of people trying to help the animals, But it is getting to them that is the problem. By the time they come ashore most are already dead.

      Like

      1. The British Gov, has two warehouses stocked with all the equipment ready to go if there is a spill around Britain.
        But then we produce oil and have one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world.
        Maybe your gov, will do something now.

        Like

        1. Unlikely.
          I have lost all my faith in politicians.
          We have an election next month.
          And it is not a case of voting for who you believe in anymore – it is a case of voting for who you think will do the LEAST DAMAGE to the country.
          How sad is that ???

          back to your first comment – until today there were no workers in on the clean up and locals who desperately wanted to do something were being shunted off the beaches because they weren’t TRAINED.
          How much training does it need to get a shovel and a plastic bag and shovel the sand and oil into it !!!!

          Like

  2. How perfectly awful! I am sad to hear this. I did hear it mentioned here in the US on public radio news, so maybe the word is finally getting out. But fat lot of good getting the word out will do to those poor animals.

    Like

    1. Exactly – what is so frustrating is the delays in getting anything done. they keep saying…blah, blah, blah…but what i want to know is theis…
      WHY DIDN’T WE HAVE A PLAN OF ACTION READY TO GO FOR SUCH AN EVENTUALITY?
      We are an island nation – they knew this was a possibility .
      THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN PREPARED !!!

      Like

  3. The U.S. is still recovering from a similar crisis – the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. My sympathy is with New Zealand and I hope things take a turn for the better very soon.

    Like

    1. Thanks Theresa – it will take a long time as they expect the ship to break up and there is fuel in one place they cannot get to. The really sad thing is this area is already in crisis. Our main crop is kiwifruit. The area thrives on the industry and we have had PSA arrive here from Italy. It is destroying the kiwifruit vines throughout the region. And now the summer tourism boom is already at threat – people are phoning in to cancel plans to visit here. Some business will not survive this.
      And that all seems minor when you see the state of the coastline and our wildlife – I feel like I am about to break into tears whenever I think of it.

      Like

    1. Thanks Angeline – it is pretty hard to stomach – especially when it all seems to be such a string of cock ups, right from the ship’s Captain celebrating his birthday the night it happened…

      Like

  5. Oh dear. I read about this on the news and immediately thought of all the poor animals that would be affected. Why can’t we learn how to deal with these situations better?

    Like

    1. It is not that we can’t learn – that is the worst part. Money is behind a lot of our problems. If this government had spent the money to buy the boat that could have sucked out the oil instead of moaning ‘it’s too dear” and then wasting $50,000,000 + on a Rugby World Cup that is just a game…

      Like

  7. My heart bleeds Jo.. as does Mother Earth…. Hope you dont mind me sharing this poem with you.. I was inspired to wirte this a while back when the BP oil spilled into the ocean.. So thought I would share..

    What have we become that we cannot begin to see?
    The Damage that we’ve done to our Ocean land and Trees,
    We belch out pollution, pumping veins in Mother Earth
    Spewing out our poisons that pollute around her girth
    Her Ocean floors we’ve blackened, turning all to red,
    And blood is on our hands as our sea-life is now dead

    What have we become that we cannot begin to see?
    The damage with we do which affects both you and me
    The aerosols we spray like the Chemtrails across our sky
    Leave a trail of poison and no one is asking Why?
    Rainforests disappearing a hundred species every day
    Some we’ll never see, for we wiped them clean away.

    What have we become that we feel we need to kill—
    Everything around us….. Is this Free Will?
    I often shed a tear as I feel our Mother’s pain
    For I know it’s now the time as she screams with wind and rain.
    It’s time that we were shaken to realize our mistakes
    How we’ve pillaged, raped and stole and Take, take ,take

    Never do we honour or give her back respect
    We just take her life for granted, abuse her and neglect.
    Can we not see as we cut down all her trees?
    We cut the very air that each of us do breathe.

    What have we become as we kill for greed and power?
    Our Mother now chastises in this our final hour
    Her anger is just beginning to make her presence felt
    For mankind is just an insect, as we reap what we have dealt
    Her sigh is now heaving on the Winds of discontent
    As she reflects all of our Anger over the centuries we’ve sent.

    What have we become that we cannot begin to see?
    We are destroying our Planet along with it you and me.

    BY Sue Dreamwalker

    Like

        1. I agree – many birds died because of this – unnecessarily and painfully. It is heartbreaking – and our Government wants to start deep-sea iol drilling off the coast. Money – environment. I wish I didn’t know it already, but guess which side will win out !!!!

          Like

          1. It will not be for long Jo.. For Greed cannot carry on.. Our way of destroying everything we touch cannot carry on.. and It HAS to change.. Take heart and know that the Consciousness of Mankind is changing.. 82 countries world wide in protests over banking and monetary systems.. the ‘RIPPLE’ effect will spread.. OIL is made out to be the only fuel we can use. when we all know cheaper and cleaner alternatives have been found but supressed by Governments and Big Oil Corperations As has cleaner energy.. The Time of CHANGE is at hand Jo.. Keep sending out your own thoughts into the Cosmos. and know it is going to change.. There may well be chaos around for a time while changes take place.. But its always darkest before the dawn light.. and we as ‘Lightworkers’ for you are one also.. know that Greed, Money and Profits will not succeed for much longer… I have this sixth sense.. LOL… and High connections.. that give me Hope for the long-term future of our species.. 🙂 .. Mother Earth Knows Best.. 😉

            Like

          2. I do hope it will be so – it is not that I don’t believe in the good heart within us – it is just that often it seems as if it is not strong enough to conquer the greed for more – always more.

            Like

    1. It is about 35 kilometres north – on the way to Waihi. You may remember it for its murals – as we are known as the mural town of New Zealand.

      Like

Comments are closed.