The Rena finally breaks apart…

Jo Bryant

A few months ago I told you of the ship that ran aground off our coast: The Rena. It was a disaster that should never have happened. In the last few days the ship has broken in half and debris, containers, and now oil are all threatening the coastline of the area I live in.

This is a map of the Bay of Plenty in the North Island of NZ.

I live in the town of Katikati. The following photos were taken by a friend who lives in Waihi Beach. She is a photographer. If you would like to see more of her photos from what has been happening here visit Paula’s Vantage Light Photography Facebook page.

The photos are all copyrighted to Vantage Light Photography and may not be used without permission (which I have).

Thanks Paula !!!!!

***

***

***

***

***

***

***

***

***

***

***

***

***

***

***

These are just a few of the shots Paula took of the beach where she lives.

There is little to say that these photos don’t already say for me.

***

Off the coast is Matakana Island – it is where I learnt to water-ski – and it is also being damaged by the debris.

***

These are earlier posts of mine when the Rena ran aground:

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

Oil spill worsens as the Rena starts to crack.

***

If you would like more updates here are links to news sights that will provide a better recap.

stuff.co.nz

New Zealand Herald.co.nz

Related articles

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

  2. My heart just breaks for you. We had our own experience with oil, of course, with the Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf of Mexico. And now, there are first reports of debris from the Japanese tsunami being sighted on this side of the Pacific.

    I watch the container ships transiting the Houston Ship Channel almost daily, and often have marveled that there are not more accidents with them. This is a particularly sad example of what can happen.

    Like

  5. These photos are difficult to look at, not that they aren’t beautiful in their own way, but it always saddens me when nature is threatened by human folly. Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I hope your area recovers quickly.

    Like

  9. I heard about this disaster on BBC News. The regular U.S. news outlets barely understand that there’s a whole other world out there. I am so sorry about this. It seems like it’s been one thing after another for New Zealand. Thanks for sharing these startling photographs. What a disaster for the marine life. Can you imagine giant cargo holds floating by your head while you are trying to eat? Just awful.

    Like

  11. I’ve been following this sad event over time and the photo I originally saw of the Rena breaking up with seemingly a minor inconvienence. So thank you (Paula’s wonderful photos) for sharing the truth.

    Like

Comments are closed.