The Star: September 13, 2018

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16 Thursday September 13 2018 Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi The Star News Gun site walking tracks will be open • By Matt Salmons A MAJOR part of Canterbury’s military history at Godley Head will re-open to the public by Christmas. The three Godley Head gun emplacements were built during World War 2 as a counterbombardment battery to deter enemy ships getting into range to shell Lyttelton’s port facilities. Department of Conservation Christchurch operations manager Andy Thompson said they would not only re-open, but the walking track would pass through them and they would feature artworks and signage to make the history of the site come alive. “I might be pushing the envelope and raising expectations, but that’s what I expect,” Mr Thompson said. The emplacements had been closed since June 2011, as damage sustained in the February 22, 2011, earthquake and subsequent aftershocks made them unsafe. “They were built to withstand shelling, not earthquakes,” Mr Thompson said. Consents for work to remediate emplacements one and two were with the city council now and would likely go out for tender soon. Geo-technical reports indicated the majority of the cliff side area was safe, Mr Thompson said, but the land around emplacement three was considered at risk of shearing off so would remain closed. To finish the work, Mr Thompson said DoC would need to clean off the more than $100,000 worth of graffiti and tagging damage done since the site closed. “It’s really tragic as we don’t have the budget to clean that. We’re working with Dulux on a potential partnership to deal with it,” he said. TURRET: A member of the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps standing in front of a gun emplacement in 1942. Mr Thompson said one image painted there, that of a soldier sitting down for a cigarette, had become a popular subject for PIT: Andy Thompson stands in one of the now empty emplacement pits. social media photos. “It’s a really nice image that’s in keeping with the nature of the site. Other taggers haven’t touched it.” The same logic would be applied in preventing future tagging damage. Mr Thompson said DoC had enlisted Sydenham-based graffiti artist Wongi Wilson to paint murals of what life at the emplacements looked like during World War 2. Your locally owned Outdoor and Paddle store outdoor montane and aarn clothing and Pack samples all at 50%. montane clearance Jackets and Pants up to 50% off. clearance footwear by Salewa, la-sportiva and hoka all priced to sell. Mega sale 15% OFF all full priced stock at this Friday, saturday, sunday* FurtherFaster and long cloud kayaks 57a Buchan Street Sydenham (one Street Back from colomBo) paddle Jackson whitewater boats at clearance prices. Peak uk clearance clothing and Pfd’S up to 50% off. last of line boats at knock down prices. *14th-16th September 2018
The Star Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi Thursday September 13 2018 17 Local News Now Fire rages, homes at risk by end of year Unlocking mysteries of rare fish The idea is that taggers would be less likely to vandalise the work of a professional graffiti artist. “It’s a way of telling the story of the site’s history through a contemporary medium.” Example’s of Wilson’s work included panels at the Boxed Quarter on St Asaph St, Cookie Monster on Hereford St and the hide and seek mural on the side of the Unimed building at the corner of Gloucester and Manchester Sts. Godley Head Heritage Trust historian Peter Wilkins said the murals would bring the history of the site to life for visitors. “It’s surrounding people with the history, it’s like the stones are talking. “We want quality, not just enthusiasm, and when you see Wongi’s work, it really is quality,” Mr Wilkins said. ON LOOKOUT: Soldiers manning emplacement one during a training shoot in 1942. RADIO-TRACKING OF a rare native fish is under way to try and solve the mystery of where they are spawning near Marshland. In 2015, lamprey, a threatened species, were discovered living in high numbers in the Canal Reserve Drain in the Styx River catchment. Now, the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Science is using innovative tagging and tracking technology to find out where the lamprey are laying their eggs. Its efforts are supported by city council, Department of Conservation and Environment Canterbury. Nine adult lamprey have so far been fitted with passive integrated transponder tags and released back into the drain. Their movements are being monitored using both fixed and a portable hand-held antenna. The timber-lined box drain is nearing the end of its life and needs to be repaired or replaced, so the tracking data will help inform city council on what to do next. In 2013, NIWA scientists discovered the first lamprey spawning sites in the Southern Hemisphere when the jawless fish were found to spawn beneath boulders in a bush stream on Banks Peninsula. However, city council waterways ecologist Greg Burrell said surprisingly, lamprey may also be using the wooden lining of the drain as a spawning site and appear to be flourishing in this unusual location. The monitoring project now under way is of national importance, Mr Burrell said. It will continue until next year when hopefully enough information will have been collected. NIWA principal scientist Cindy Baker said the fish won’t spawn for 16 months, so it’s a long wait. When the radio tag batteries INNOVATION: NIWA scientists Don Jellyman and Cindy Baker tracking lamprey living in a box drain near Marshland Rd. die, after 150 days, the scientists will rely on tags to follow them to their spawning habitat. “The over-arching goal is to provide knowledge on what habitats are vital to maintaining lamprey in the drain and look at options for how the council can upgrade the box lining to protect the lamprey population and the habitats they use, while also making the drain more sustainable for the future,” said Dr Baker. Townhouse showhome open day Tuesday 18 September, 10am–3pm We warmly invite you to come along to view our townhouse showhome, have a cuppa with me and we can chat about your retirement living options. For more information please phone Claire on 338 7696 5 Corbett Crescent, Aidanfield • Fixed weekly fee* • Deferred management fee capped at 20% • Plus seven more guarantees! * Terms and conditions apply 8747
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The Star: September 13, 2018

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