recogitare.com

Admin wrote: ↑Wed Feb 22, 2023 8:50 amFor some reason, we don't get that here, as I can attest after going to a number of tourist spots over the past 4 days. Rubbish is almost non-existent, despite most places not even having bins.

It's thirty years since I went to the tourist trap at Rotorua. It seemed pretty nice back then. Except for the smell, of course.

I used to think of this behavior as ritual littering, maybe just a way to show the surroundings who's boss. Long time ago in rural Mexico on the Jalisco coast a buddy and I were buying some weed from a young fisherman. We got in his boat and headed up some virgin estuary where we beached and got off the boat to smoke a little. Gave him some cash for however much we got, don't remember, then like it was maybe something he always did right before taking off in his boat he scooped up the plastic wrappers, coke cans, all the trash from the boat and threw it onto the beach.

It's merely the idea that "away" is a place that you can throw something and not have to think about it any more. It doesn't occur to them that "away" simply means "someone else's backyard".

arthwollipot wrote: ↑Wed Feb 22, 2023 11:21 pm It's thirty years since I went to the tourist trap at Rotorua. It seemed pretty nice back then. Except for the smell, of course.

It was then. Now, it's a dumping ground for the dregs of society and is probably the worst town in the entire country in 2023.

Pity.

For indigenous populations used to be that pretty much the only trash that existed would rot away on its own except for the broken pottery, didn't have to be too concerned about it. Old habits die hard.

Admin wrote: ↑Thu Feb 23, 2023 2:35 am

arthwollipot wrote: ↑Wed Feb 22, 2023 11:21 pm It's thirty years since I went to the tourist trap at Rotorua. It seemed pretty nice back then. Except for the smell, of course.

It was then. Now, it's a dumping ground for the dregs of society and is probably the worst town in the entire country in 2023.

Pity.

Yeah, shame.

Admin wrote: ↑Thu Feb 23, 2023 2:35 am

arthwollipot wrote: ↑Wed Feb 22, 2023 11:21 pm It's thirty years since I went to the tourist trap at Rotorua. It seemed pretty nice back then. Except for the smell, of course.

It was then. Now, it's a dumping ground for the dregs of society and is probably the worst town in the entire country in 2023.

Pity.

Indeed.

Other than the touristy bits and the aroma, it seemed like a nice area when I visited.

Always seems that whenever a special place is "discovered" by someone, word gets out and soon enough the place is trashed.

Have seen that happen to a few hidden swimming holes that became party spots for teenagers and college kids.

That's going to happen to Canberra one day and I'm not looking forward to it.

grayman wrote: ↑Thu Feb 23, 2023 12:49 pm Always seems that whenever a special place is "discovered" by someone, word gets out and soon enough the place is trashed.

Have seen that happen to a few hidden swimming holes that became party spots for teenagers and college kids.

Rotorua's problems are all domestic, and relate to an insane system the government introduced for people who can't get a house to live in. They choose where they want to live and the government pays their motel bill. It's costing the country $3M a week.

Sadly, a lot of them are gang members and other dregs of society and lots of them chose Rotorua.

Won't be me trashing either Rotarua or Canberra, I can't think of two more worthy places to never visit again.

I reckon Rotarua would only be a go to place to lose weight. I couldn't eat for the 2 days spent there. Everything smelled and tasted of sulphur.
I can see where it would have advantages for cooking up some drugs though.