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Okarito Ways

by Larry Mindel

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about

By buying my music, you are donating to Long Covid research, and helping support groups. All money you spend (net of printing and postage) goes on to Long Covid causes. I appreciate your contribution. Thank you!

Okarito Ways celebrates Ōkārito Lagoon, which - with its associated waterways - connects the Southern Alps of the West Coast of New Zealand to the Tasman Sea.

There, perched on a sandspit lies a small village - Ōkārito - a place that has literally stood the test of time. Rich with wildlife, this unique and biodiverse area is protected by National Forest, part of a UNESCO World Heritage site. Ōkārito is the largest surviving unmodified wetlands in New Zealand.

Yet it is fragile. There is a constant need to protect critically vulnerable species, some brought back from near extinction - such as the Ōkārito “Rowi” Kiwi. Many others are still threatened. Ōkārito’s signature bird is the beautiful Kotuku – the Great White Heron.

Wetlands around the world are vulnerable - the kidneys of the planet - without them we are in trouble. Over 90% of NZ’s wetlands have been lost, altered or compromised due to agricultural and urban expansion. Specifically, in Ōkārito the land and forest surrounding the water is under protection, but the waterways themselves are not.

For now, the small community of Ōkārito has shown it can co-exist in balance and harmony with its surroundings. They are gentle and respectful of the land that we all depend upon for our health, happiness, and our future.

By buying my music, you are donating to Long Covid research, and helping support groups. All money you spend (net of printing and postage) goes on to Long Covid causes. I appreciate your contribution. Thank you!

lyrics

Dawn breaking, Mount Cook in silhouette
Green, orange and maroon
Swade’s up and running, down at the boathouse
Checking out the lagoon
Spoonbill grazing
Kingfisher in the trees
The Tui sings across the bay
A cup of mint tea
Steaming in his hands
A Great White Heron drifts away
As a soft Okarito morning
Turns to a still Okarito day
Lazy Okarito ways

Cast away over mirror blue
Float out into the stream
The four-stroke splutters, it spits and then it starts
Now she’s purring like a dream
Out on the sand flats
Over by the sea
The Dotterel run to and fro
Quiet conversation
Eels deep in the mud
The talk’s of wings and archipelagos
As a soft Okarito morning
Turns to a still Okarito day
Lazy Okarito ways

Tonight by the woodshed
Outside Donovan’s store
We all tell travellers’ tales
Beer and paraffin skies
Light our weary eyes
Listening to The Tattletales
As a soft Okarito evening
Turns to a still Okarito night
Slow Okarito light

credits

released September 24, 2021
Written by Larry Mindel

Produced, arranged and mixed by Matteo Galesi

Played by Larry Mindel (guitar, vocals), Alastair Gavin (piano), PJ Carla (Drums), Matteo Galesi (bass, keyboards)

Cover art by Rina Sjardin-Thompson

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Larry Mindel image

Larry Mindel London, UK

Larry has been living with Long Covid throughout 2022.

Proceeds go to Long Covid causes.

Larry Mindel makes music for the ages that draws on folk and jazz traditions.

Geographic and human landscapes come together - in Antarctica, a wetlands in New Zealand, the Australian outback, the lowlands of Suffolk, the remote islands of the Scottish Hebrides.... ... more

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