Cape Kidnappers was in clear view from Marine Parade in the early morning sun. Photo / Warren Buckland
Cape Kidnappers was in clear view from Marine Parade in the early morning sun. Photo / Warren Buckland
If the Covid-19 pandemic that has put Hawke's Bay into lockdown has a bright side, it is what it has done to the sky.
Clearer and cleaner, landmarks, mountains and stars not seen from the twin cities in decades have appeared on the horizon.
Cape Kidnappers suddenly looms in strikingdetail from Napier, the vast cliff faces standing out in the sun today.Hawke's Bay resident Mark Kennedy said he was young when he last saw skies like those in the past week.
"At night the skies are so much clearer, with more stars out and even seeing the satellites is much easier," Kennedy said.
"Last night (Tuesday) while I was enjoying my outdoor spa, I saw 15 more than normal, just because of the clearer skies."
Kennedy, who lives in Rissington, said that living in the country meant it was easy to see the mountain ranges but he could see more now.
"When I look north from my place, you could normally see a couple ranges or hills but, recently, I've been able to see a third that I never knew I was able to see until now."
At today's Hawke's Bay Regional Council meeting , where councillors met via Zoom, councillor Martin Williams said that, due to Covid-19, they had seen a drop in regional emissions.
"Regionally, nationally and internationally, the benefit of Covid-19 is that emissions profile has possibly been the best it's ever been at the moment."
He said that it had helped to give space for the council to think, reflect and plan for the future in battling regional climate change.
Hawke's Bay's first snow fall in the ranges was also a sight to behold. Photo / Warren Buckland
The discussion was brought up during the Climate Change Working Group meeting around how to plan ahead and prepare for climate change action once the lockdown is ended.
Councillor Neil Kirton said the lockdown period was the perfect opportunity for the group to discuss how the council could cut emissions in the future.
He suggested online meetings could be seen as a possible "new norm", not only for the council, but for some of the staff meetings to minimise travel and the carbon footprint for each person.
"I hope the new normal will help in accepting these meetings as valid and not having to travel vast distances."
Council chairman Rex Graham also pointed out that, at any one time before the Covid-19 outbreak, there were around 240,000 planes in the air and doubted that there were more than 1000 at the moment.
