We met up in Westport on Friday night / Saturday morning. The weather was glorious, and we welcomed new supporters to the occupation, met up with long-term crew and celebrated the awesome mahi that has gone into maintaining and strengthening the occupation these last twelve months.

Preplanning meant a well organised morning and we set off in four groups. Pleasingly, everything went smoother and faster than last year – even despite one car overheating on the Denniston hill! (No one had to carry in fire extinguishers and gas canisters and cookers and chilli bins!). There was a huge range of crew – from family groups to tramping crews to kiwi listeners to steadfast occupiers. Our youngest (preschool aged) occupier yet had visited just a few days before.

The bridge over the Waimangaroa was down - someone had removed the lower wire – but we walked straight through and ate a late lunch at The Waterhole. A few debates were overheard about whether this was The Best Waterhole on the Planet. Or First Equal. Valley crew had tramped out to meet us, and promptly joined the debate arguing of the existence of an even better waterhole upstream :)
We arrived at camp mid-late afternoon, where we were welcomed by a very thorough camp orientation, and a specially established “Top Camp” (or ‘upstairs’) that had been established complete with tarp kitchen, extra facilities and little stone paths. These had been established by a hardworking crew during the proceeding week. The high track has also been fully marked.

Gibson security was also present throughout the week (surprise surprise). 5 guards were dropped off near the start of the track (i.e. public land) and proceeded to march through the valley. Lights were seen on Thursday and Friday nights on the same hillside as where Thompson & Clark private investigators were found spying on the camp this time last year. An examination of the hillside on Sunday morning found rubbish (cigarette butts, plastic wrappings), shelters and a well frequented road. Solid Energy’s usual tactics of invasion did not prevent us from celebrating, nor from getting a good view of the destruction that is Stockton mine (e.g. Mt Frederick, Mt Augustus).

Later on Sunday morning, a few crews of people made the hour tramp north to check out St Pats Dam and the dead forest. Others were stoked to see the bush to the south (albeit from a distance) in its true beauty – the canopy an array of greens of every shade rising above the gorge. [Much of this area would become the South Pit if Solid Energy were to go ahead with their proposed destruction].

New occupiers were horrified to learn of Solid Energy’s proposals to translocate kiwi, snails, wetland…and the mining company’s assumption that 12m steps cut into the hillside would count as landscape rehabilitation once they’d annihilated the area.

On Saturday night there were numerous kiwi calls across the valley. As clearly stated by our gorgeous new flag/banner (Yay): Happy Valley ~ Worth More Than Its Weight in Coal!