Preserving the Earth

The plants are always perfectly trimmed
and the placement of flowers always
seems very well thought out.

Usually the thought of a city brings to mind dirty streets, polluted air, and narrow roads packed with cars. The city of Wellington is completely different from this description. This city has certain aspects that are expected of a city, but it also has gorgeous green mountains and bright blue waters. The beauty of this city is definitely reflected through the landscape, but it would not be as beautiful if the people of Wellington were not conscious of the environment.

Awareness of the environment and respect for it is seen in early literature about New Zealand. In her short story entitled At the Bay, Katherine Mansfield describes the landscape of New Zealand beautifully. She even gives some of the aspects human-like qualities. An example would be when she talks about how the certain parts of nature bow to the earth. Giving these specific qualities to the landscape makes it come alive and reflects that there is a certain appreciation for trees, flowers, mountains, and the sea. In modern times, this appreciation can be seen through the clean streets of Wellington and through the clean, breathable air (Mansfield 1).

During the walk through Wellington, the tour guides pointed out several aspects of the city that reflect how much the people here respect their environment. The air here is very clean because of all the greenery and the huge amounts of wind. People are rarely breathing in large amounts of toxins or pollutants. Even though there are many buildings here, there seems to be a balance between the natural aspects of this city and the manmade aspects. Many of the buildings also do not produce smog that can just be pumped out into the atmosphere. 

Christina Thompson points this out in her novel, Come on Shore and We Will Kill and Eat You All, when she was staying in Mangonui, a small village in New Zealand. Although this city is not Wellington, it still reflects how much appreciation the people of New Zealand have for their environment. Thompson would sit by the beach and observe that there was a lack of buildings and roads. Although Wellington has buildings, roads, and houses, the city still has plenty of greenery and beautiful hills and mountains (Thompson 42).

The people of Wellington make sure that the air above them is clean, but they also try and make sure that the ground below them is clean. The tour guides pointed out that people come by to sweep up the streets and pick up garbage that is found on the streets. It is very rare to find a piece of trash walking around the streets. This also contributes to the health of the environment because there is less litter lying around. Less litter in turn produces less toxins in the air and also contributes to the health of birds and fish. The animals will have less of a chance to consume these toxins accidentally, and their habitats will also be preserved. 

This care for animals is also seen in the movie Whale Rider, a movie about the Maori people of New Zealand. Toward the end of the movie, several whales wash up onto the shore. In this scene, the whole community bands together to try and save these animals. They use all their efforts, all their ideas, and all their strength to try to push one whale back into the ocean so that the rest can follow. At one point in particular, one woman breaks down because one of the whales pass away. This sympathy for animals definitely transferred into modern times seen by all the water and greenery provided for animals to thrive (Whale Rider).

Attention and care for the environment is found walking around the city streets, but it can also be found in the hostel. There are several signs around here that urge people to take the stairs instead of the elevator to save energy and to recycle when possible. In the kitchen there is also a basket for food waste that is used for composting which is a great help to the environment as well.

The people of New Zealand are very environmentally conscious. Many spots in the city seem to reflect this aspect of the New Zealand culture, and there are several areas that urge people to continually think about the impact their actions have on the environment. The hard work of keeping the environment in check has in turn produced a beautiful city that attracts tourists from all around the world.

Hubbard, Margaret. "Whale Rider." Whale Rider. MediaEd, n.d. Web. 27 Dec. 2015.

Mansfield, Katherine. "At the Bay." Some Other Country: New Zealand's Best Short Stories. By Marion McLeod and Bill Manhire. Wellington: Unwin Paperbacks with the Port Nicholson, 1984. 1-41. Print.

Thompson, Christina. Come on Shore and We Will Kill and Eat You All: A New Zealand Story. New York: Bloomsbury USA, 2008. Print.