Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | News Video | Crime | Employers | Housing | Immigration | Legal | Local Govt. | Maori | Welfare | Unions | Youth | Search

 

Paddling Cape to Cape for a Cause

Paddling Cape to Cape for a Cause

Pete Ralph is a twenty-five year old on a mission.

A mission that will see him spend three week on stand up paddle board, paddling from the South Cape to the top of the East Cape of the North Island.

A mission that he hopes will raise awareness of the massive risk that deep sea oil exploration poses to our environment.

Pete Ralph has long been passionate about our oceans. Growing up in the Bay of Islands, he spent much of his youth sailing, surfing and diving. This love of the sea and desire to protect it, lead him to studying Environmental Management and Economics at the University of Otago, and then a job as an Environmental Consultant.

But after two years as a consultant, he has decided to leave paid employment and embark on the 675 km journey from Cape Palliser to the top of the East Cape to raise awareness of the New Zealand Government’s plans to sell off huge areas of our sea bed for deep sea oil prospecting.

In describing the transition from his job to the upcoming journey, Ralph said - “I was getting a little tired spending the majority of my time behind a desk and wanted to take a broader approach to protecting our beautiful environment.”

That approach will see Pete Ralph leave Cape Palliser on a paddle board on Waitangi Day (6 Feb), and up a stretch of coastline, that he feels needs more protection. In looking at the issue that has inspired the Cape to Cape journey, Ralph says - “Deep sea oil in NZ is something that has never really made sense to me. Why would we put our most precious asset, our oceans and beautiful coastlines, at risk of permanent catastrophic damage all for a quick buck. A quick buck that most New Zealanders won’t see a cent of. On top of that it’s a big step in completely the wrong direction in terms of climate change. For me it is something that has never made sense and is something that we should really stop from happening.”

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

Pete Ralph is calling on the Minister for the Environment to give people back the right to have their say on the matter and make exploratory drilling for oil and gas a publically notifiable activity, saying - “It seems odd that something that happens on land like subdividing or putting in a new road is publically notifiable however exploration drill which could potentially have a huge impact isn’t.”

He estimates that he will make 228,000 paddle strokes to propel himself up the East Cape in a pursuit that that he is a relative newcomer to, paddling for little over a year. Ralph said - “I’ve surfed all my life and have done a fair amount of rowing so that certainly helps. I just brought a board, watched a lot of YouTube videos, filmed myself paddling and just started getting on the water as much as possible.”

He has come across dolphins, penguins and sharks in his paddle training and is expecting to see many more on the journey. When asked about encountering sharks on the journey – he said “I’m not really afraid of sharks. My board is pretty big so hopefully they don’t get too friendly.”

On the safety of the trip, he said “I’ll be keeping a very close eye on the weather.

I’ll have a number of communication devices with me and am confident I’ve taken all the necessary safety precautions and I’m ready for what’s ahead.”

He will also have his Dad on the ‘Cape to Cape’ adventure, in the support van that travels up the coast with him. Pete said - “he’s an old sailor so is the perfect person to help read the weather forecasts and marine charts. He’ll be head photographer and chef and will hopefully be serving fresh fish caught off the home built kayak.”

ends

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines



Gordon Campbell: On Dune 2, And Images Of Islam


Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture tends to be hostile to Islam when we’re sitting in the dark, with popcorn.
Any number of movie examples come to mind, beginning with Rudolf Valentino’s role (over a century ago) as the romantic Arab hero in The Sheik...
More


 
 


Government: One-stop Shop Major Projects On The Fast Track

The Coalition Government’s new one-stop-shop fast track consenting regime for regional and national projects of significance will cut red tape and make it easier for New Zealand to build the infrastructure and major projects needed to get the country moving again... More

ALSO:


Government: GPS 2024: Over $20 Billion To Get Transport Back On Track
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has released the draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport, outlining the Coalition Government’s plan to build and maintain a transport system that enables people to get to where they need to go quickly and safely... More

ALSO:

Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.