Flat Farmland

A cruisy, flat ride skirting the Firth of Thames along the Hauraki Rail Trail to Te Puru. Beautiful bird watching opportunities and a swift introduction to New Zealand’s vast farmland. Cycling past countless pastures full of dewy-eyed calves pulled at my heart strings and sparked that ever-present eco-anxiety. I thought about the yearning between mother and baby as I listened to their keening. Such suffering and grief all for a splash of milk in someone’s coffee. I listened to their cries and noticed the absence of bird call. Where do the birds roost and find plant debris for their nests? The staggering loss of biodiversity and decline in native plant species an accepted cost in the dominant world of animal agriculture. Countless opportunities for life-giving abundance are lost when we prioritize consumption of animal products and bodies at the expense of the land and it's beings.Read more