Papatūānuku is breathing

The video above was posted to Facebook today by Auckland Tourism, Events, and Economic Development (ATEED), an organisation controlled by Auckland Council. In normal times, they promote Auckland as a place to visit, play, and invest, but things are different now, and this video reflects that. It finishes:

“Sit at a distance, stand as one. When the time is right, we welcome you. But for now, listen. Papatūānuku (our earth mother) is breathing.”

They note in their Facebook post that this video doesn’t break any of the lockdown rules—something that’s sadly necessary to point out these days. They said:

• All footage captured prior to lockdown. Voiceover and editing completed at home.
• Bird sound recording source: Department of Conservation. [Link in the original]

A lot of people have been commenting on how much bird song can be heard now, and I’ve also seen people say that some rare birds have reappeared near people. I’ve certainly noticed how quiet things are at the moment, and that’s very welcome.

This lockdown is a struggle for everyone to varying degrees, but the earth itself is having a reprieve, which is good in itself. Maybe when this is over we could try a bit harder and not return to our bad habits. Papatūānuku would appreciate that, and so should we all.