Comments on: Seaside cities: rising waters http://eyeofthefish.org/seaside-cities-rising-waters/ A wide-angle view of architecture, urban design and life in Wellington Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:14:35 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.4 By: erentz http://eyeofthefish.org/seaside-cities-rising-waters/#comment-4522 erentz Fri, 05 Dec 2008 23:12:11 +0000 http://eyeofthefish.org/seaside-cities-rising-waters/#comment-4522 With luck (fat chance) it'll stay below 1 metre, and we'll be dealing with just frequent flooding instead. Building a dam across the harbour entrance would seriously screw the health of the harbour. No more whale or dolphin visitations either. :( But does make you wonder what if any planning the Council is making for it. Certainly never heard anything from local/central govt in NZ regarding it. The IPCC report I believe only refers to something like 59cms as the worst case. So maybe they have a false sense of security. Given most climate models say it may likely be much more extreme. With luck (fat chance) it’ll stay below 1 metre, and we’ll be dealing with just frequent flooding instead. Building a dam across the harbour entrance would seriously screw the health of the harbour. No more whale or dolphin visitations either. :(

But does make you wonder what if any planning the Council is making for it. Certainly never heard anything from local/central govt in NZ regarding it. The IPCC report I believe only refers to something like 59cms as the worst case. So maybe they have a false sense of security. Given most climate models say it may likely be much more extreme.

]]> By: Andy http://eyeofthefish.org/seaside-cities-rising-waters/#comment-4520 Andy Fri, 05 Dec 2008 21:15:29 +0000 http://eyeofthefish.org/seaside-cities-rising-waters/#comment-4520 Greenwelly took the words out of my mouth - I've been thinking for a while now that global warming may require we block off the harbour - and perhaps build dikes to deal with the Kilbirnie and Rongotai issue. Does anyone know how much higher most of petone is above sea level etc? Some global warming projections I've seen indicate a sea level rise of 4, 6, or more meters. It might be expensive, it might sound silly, but it might be the only way to save the city. Greenwelly took the words out of my mouth – I’ve been thinking for a while now that global warming may require we block off the harbour – and perhaps build dikes to deal with the Kilbirnie and Rongotai issue.

Does anyone know how much higher most of petone is above sea level etc? Some global warming projections I’ve seen indicate a sea level rise of 4, 6, or more meters. It might be expensive, it might sound silly, but it might be the only way to save the city.

]]> By: Maximus http://eyeofthefish.org/seaside-cities-rising-waters/#comment-4518 Maximus Fri, 05 Dec 2008 17:49:30 +0000 http://eyeofthefish.org/seaside-cities-rising-waters/#comment-4518 Indeed, the prospect of popping out at Woodward St in your speedos may be a bit frightening, with all those lunchtime shoppers, but that is the original outlet point of the Kumutoto stream. As greenwelly says, the stream itself has been bubbling down through the Thorndon / Kelburn area through people's back yards and the botanical garden, trickling down near the Terrace to the lowest point (the Wellington Club building) into Woodward St and the eventual output point is the harbour. At the time of the Treaty signing in Wellington, there were a couple of well established pa in the area, with one at Pipitea and one at Kumutoto (now the area around Woodward St), where they used to fish for kai moana and grow flax for export to Australia. Info from: http://www.wcl.govt.nz/maori/wellington/TeAra1.html "Kumutoto Kainga was situated west of Woodward Street above the mouth of the Kumutoto Stream, which flowed into the sea where Woodward Street now intersects with Lambton Quay, then the coastline. (The Kumutoto Stream now runs underground and out to sea)." "The site was known as a flax collecting area and a boat landing site, and in 1831 served as the central flax-collection point in a network of flax stations up and down the east of the North Island. Flax, because of its strength, was a sought after commodity by settlers during this period, as it was used as an everyday item, for example as strapping and ropes for shipping, and for the latching and thatching of houses and roofing." "This site was the earlier dwelling place of Te Atiawa chief Wi Tako Ngatata, who along with approximately fifty other people moved to Kumutoto when Ngati Mutunga left for the Chathams in 1835." "Kumutoto ceased to exist as an occupied settlement in 1853 when Wi Tako moved to the Hutt Valley." Indeed, the prospect of popping out at Woodward St in your speedos may be a bit frightening, with all those lunchtime shoppers, but that is the original outlet point of the Kumutoto stream. As greenwelly says, the stream itself has been bubbling down through the Thorndon / Kelburn area through people’s back yards and the botanical garden, trickling down near the Terrace to the lowest point (the Wellington Club building) into Woodward St and the eventual output point is the harbour.

At the time of the Treaty signing in Wellington, there were a couple of well established pa in the area, with one at Pipitea and one at Kumutoto (now the area around Woodward St), where they used to fish for kai moana and grow flax for export to Australia.

Info from: http://www.wcl.govt.nz/maori/wellington/TeAra1.html

“Kumutoto Kainga was situated west of Woodward Street above the mouth of the Kumutoto Stream, which flowed into the sea where Woodward Street now intersects with Lambton Quay, then the coastline. (The Kumutoto Stream now runs underground and out to sea).”

“The site was known as a flax collecting area and a boat landing site, and in 1831 served as the central flax-collection point in a network of flax stations up and down the east of the North Island. Flax, because of its strength, was a sought after commodity by settlers during this period, as it was used as an everyday item, for example as strapping and ropes for shipping, and for the latching and thatching of houses and roofing.”

“This site was the earlier dwelling place of Te Atiawa chief Wi Tako Ngatata, who along with approximately fifty other people moved to Kumutoto when Ngati Mutunga left for the Chathams in 1835.”

“Kumutoto ceased to exist as an occupied settlement in 1853 when Wi Tako moved to the Hutt Valley.”

]]> By: greenwelly http://eyeofthefish.org/seaside-cities-rising-waters/#comment-4511 greenwelly Fri, 05 Dec 2008 04:12:39 +0000 http://eyeofthefish.org/seaside-cities-rising-waters/#comment-4511 DavidP: I assume the water includes the eventual outlet of what bubbles its way through the botanical gardens, and disappears into a great big pipe at next to glenmore street. DavidP: I assume the water includes the eventual outlet of what bubbles its way through the botanical gardens, and disappears into a great big pipe at next to glenmore street.

]]> By: DavidP http://eyeofthefish.org/seaside-cities-rising-waters/#comment-4510 DavidP Fri, 05 Dec 2008 02:29:26 +0000 http://eyeofthefish.org/seaside-cities-rising-waters/#comment-4510 >you could swim all the way to Lambton Quay. And then what?... can you pop out on to the street using a man/person hole, or do you have to swim back to the harbour? And where does the water come from to start the stream at Lambton Quay?... drains? >you could swim all the way to Lambton Quay.

And then what?… can you pop out on to the street using a man/person hole, or do you have to swim back to the harbour?

And where does the water come from to start the stream at Lambton Quay?… drains?

]]> By: greenwelly http://eyeofthefish.org/seaside-cities-rising-waters/#comment-4500 greenwelly Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:55:26 +0000 http://eyeofthefish.org/seaside-cities-rising-waters/#comment-4500 While the hole inflatable barrier thing is a bit silly, I am sure the dutch can whip you up a nice concrete one complete with a set of locks to allow ferries in and out. They could even build you a nice cycle path from moa point to lyall bay just to keep the good burghers of Kilbirne dry. While the hole inflatable barrier thing is a bit silly, I am sure the dutch can whip you up a nice concrete one complete with a set of locks to allow ferries in and out.

They could even build you a nice cycle path from moa point to lyall bay just to keep the good burghers of Kilbirne dry.

]]> By: rondo http://eyeofthefish.org/seaside-cities-rising-waters/#comment-4499 rondo Wed, 03 Dec 2008 23:53:11 +0000 http://eyeofthefish.org/seaside-cities-rising-waters/#comment-4499 the words of John Cleese springing rapidly to mind here... "Gondolas, gondolas, more f____g gondolas!" the words of John Cleese springing rapidly to mind here… “Gondolas, gondolas, more f____g gondolas!”

]]> By: Seamonkey Madness http://eyeofthefish.org/seaside-cities-rising-waters/#comment-4498 Seamonkey Madness Wed, 03 Dec 2008 23:37:09 +0000 http://eyeofthefish.org/seaside-cities-rising-waters/#comment-4498 So you reckon hoe out Cambridge/Kent and the Basin, keep going all the way up Adelaide, then a canal tunnel through to the airport? Simple! ;^) So you reckon hoe out Cambridge/Kent and the Basin, keep going all the way up Adelaide, then a canal tunnel through to the airport?

Simple! ;^)

]]> By: erentz http://eyeofthefish.org/seaside-cities-rising-waters/#comment-4495 erentz Wed, 03 Dec 2008 22:33:11 +0000 http://eyeofthefish.org/seaside-cities-rising-waters/#comment-4495 Throw in a little bit of cimate change sea level rise, and viola, we can have some gondolas on our streets too :) Throw in a little bit of cimate change sea level rise, and viola, we can have some gondolas on our streets too :)

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