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1000km journey to Happy Valley

Tuesday 29 April 2008, 5:26PM

By Save Happy Valley Coalition

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WEST COAST

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.