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Save Happy Valley Coalition - 1000km journey to Happy Valley

Wednesday, April 30, 2008
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She’s had blisters, she’s been shot at, but climate campaigner Heather Simpson will be welcomed warmly when she arrives in the West Coast’s Happy Valley tomorrow, after departing on foot from Auckland’s Sky Tower over three months ago.
The �Walk the Walk’ group has travelled on foot to state-owned� enterprise Solid Energy’s proposed opencast coal mine near Westport.

“We began occupying the valley over two years ago; maybe some people have forgotten that we’re there! Heather’s journey is a brilliant effort, and really shows that our campaign is still an integral part of� the climate change debate,” says Save Happy Valley spokesperson Alan Liefting. “You cannot call New Zealand clean and green and keep on exporting coal.”

“Of course, if Solid Energy do mine Happy Valley, it will be a pretty bad double whammy for the environment. Not only will the coal cause dangerous climate change, the mining itself will destroy a nationally significant wetland, home to 13 threatened species.”

The Walk the Walk team - supported by a vehicle running on used chip oil - has talked to hundreds of New Zealanders on the road and while camping in towns. Apart from a few incidents, such as when Heather was shot at with a slug gun in Palmerston North, they have found overwhelming support along the way.