Water Slows as it Rounds The Bend is part of an ongoing investigation into the fragile ecology and transformation of the Hauraki Plains.
The groundwater of the present day Plains is tightly controlled; few clues remain of the great fertile wetland, yet concealed in the center of the gridded farmland lays Kopuatai Peat Dome. Acting as a sponge, the Peat Dome protects low-lying farmland from flooding, but in recent years it hasn’t soaked up the excess rain. By traversing the wetland on foot and by kayak, van der Drift learns why some locals believe the Dome is struggling to breathe.
