When I arrived in New Zealand in 1993 one of the things I loved was that here in the Bay of Plenty its beauty was appreciated in a gentle low key way.
High rise ??? What are those ???
While I understand the need for progress and growth it saddens me to see towns such as Mount Maunganui becoming miniature Gold Coast replicas.
Frankly I have always HATED the Gold Coast in Queensland.
To some of you this may seem an incredible leap when you are viewing these images of Mount Maunganui.
I can imagine it still seems pretty low key compared with other places.
But for someone who has watched the changes occurring I am torn between the needs of the population and the needs of the land.
We need to make sure we keep the balance.
So there are still areas that are untouched by our human hands.
And left to grow as nature intended.
***
For more interpretations of Growth visit the Daily Post
Amazing. Here today, gone tomorrow! 🙂
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Yep…that’s exactly the way it happens.
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I love New Zealand because I went there for honeymoon. Of course, untouched area is better.
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How great that you spent your honeymoon here. Where did you visit ???
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Oh well said. the monstrosity of the Gold Coast( to my eyes) and the “growth” in these beautiful places. I couldn’t think of an idea for GROWTH but you have me thinking now. I left the Tweed area in 2009 as the Gold Coast loomed up over the hills towards us. Great post.
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I was really saddened when I visited a friend in Mooloolaba and found that the Sunshine Coast was doing the same. Why must this be called progress ???? Where did you go after you left the Tweed area ?
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First to Ulmarra on the Clarence and then home to the Bellinger. That’s where I am now. 🙂
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Okay I found Ulmarra…looks cool there. And what a great name. But where is Bellinger. When I Google it it comes up with a river only.
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The towns are Bellingen and Urunga.. Halfway between Brisbane and Sydney. http://nellibellingen.wordpress.com/
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More nature, less buildings 🙂
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Exactly !!!!!!!!!!!!
🙂
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I agree about the Gold Coast. Who needs high-rise buildings at a beach? I like this post – you’ve made some excellent points about growth.
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Thanks !! I hate seeing this happen everywhere. We have a lovely little beach not far from here. It used to all of the old style Kiwi baches – now it is full of monstrous great houses. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
😦
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Great pictures Jo! Nice to see the change, though all may not like it 🙂
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I don’t mind change as long as nature is taken in to account…and that is not happening as much as I’d like here in New Zealand. We have this ‘Clean Green image’, but the Government of the day is all about money, money, money. They recently decided to try to mine even in our Heritage Areas…that is just not on for any amount of money.
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What a very powerful post, Jo. Much needed perspective in this day and age.
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Thanks Myra. I just hate those buildings they have built right near the beach. They are ugly and spoil what was once so amazing about the place.
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a thoughtful post. i know what you mean. my favourite beach used to be so remote and undeveloped. now the journey there is just as long, but you pass by many housing and other developments enroute…..
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Takes away from it when that happens, doesn’t it ???
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Yes, I can imagine that bay in the last photo when it was unspoilt. 😦
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It was beautiful Gilly…all of it was just like the header. Unspoilt and going on forever.
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Great pictures. Last one is awesome.
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Thanks Arindam…I love that you think so !!!
🙂
🙂
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I am all in favour of less buildings and more nature, but I guess when it is cold/hot we all look for a building to get protection! I liked your ‘take’ on growth.
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True…but do they have to be huge monstrosities ????????
Glad you liked it.
🙂
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Great work as always Jo,Thanks for sharing 🙂
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Thanks for all the work in doing this every week Jake !!!
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I agree with you wholeheartedly Jo. I too hate to see growth like this. It scares me sometimes how big the world is getting and how much nature is being destroyed. Great post!
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Thanks Nicole…we just seem incapable of reining the human race in…it scares me for the future.
😦
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Very sad, but it certainly isn’t a recent phenomenon. This is from 1970.
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I’d forgotten how much I liked Joni – must listen more to the old stuff.
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Thanks for taking me somewhere I would not see otherwise. And thanks for the likes on the blog, too.
Yes, growth is not always good.
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No it isn’t always good. And if only we would learn from the past that that is exactly the case.
😦
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Take from nature only as much you need. I think humanity has become synonym to plundering.
Thank you for the captivating commented serie of pictures.
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If only that is all we took. So glad you liked this one !!
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It is so sad when we see these things happening. The helpless feeling can be
as ovewhelming as the destruction. Your photos are precious and fabulous.
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Thanks Isadora. I agree…the helpless feeling is awful.
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Many of my happy childhood memories involve hiking at our cabin in Idaho or in the Grand Teton National Park. I’ve always been a person who loves to be surrounded by nature. I know with the growing population, buildings and houses are essential. But I don’t have to be happy about it. I long for open spaces.
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I know what you mean.
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The balancing part is the hard part…and not to make every place look the same as others. This happens in the U.S. with the same stores, the same restaurants, the same looking plazas and etc., and then towns start to look similar to one another. Yuck.
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Exactly…I hate when you just seem to roll from one to another and there is no real distinction anywhere.
😦
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