Images: Aramis & Linda Velazquez, WGIC2024, National Hurricane Center

In our industry we talk about resiliency a lot referring to design, energy, materials, construction methods, etc. What about when sometimes it feels like you just can’t catch a break when real life happens?

Personal Resiliency NZ

That’s when Personal Resiliency comes into play: the ability to rely on yourself and your own strengths or convictions when the going gets tough – and make no mistake, the going gets rough (or will) at times for all of us.

Take, for instance, our recent trip Down Under to New Zealand and Australia.

At the end of August Aramis and I were thrilled to return to the lovely North Island for the World Green Infrastructure Congress (WGIC) 2024. Aside from the conference itself and sharing my own presentation “2024 Top 10 List of Hot Trends in Living Green Architecture: Climate Action Drives Design,” we were excited to renew old friendships and make new ones, learn about projects from around the world – including the 2024 WGIN Awards (for which I was a judge) – and participate in various tours, both with the WGIC and privately.

Covid Ruins the Congress for Us but Not Auckland

After what can only be described as a 30+ hour case of time travel to the future (drive to Tampa-LAX-Sydney-Auckland), we arrived in Auckland two days early for the Congress on August 31. And we tested positive for Covid on September 2.

Thank goodness we were able to do some sightseeing on our first two whole days there! Thinking we had all the time in the world, for our first day we just decided to go see the Sky Tower, a spectacular venue 328 meters high, and wander around the city closer to our hotel.

After a great Chinese lunch, we ran into the adjacent Sky City complex, lushly covered in greenwalls – both flat and the unique circular ones – from Fytogreen (2014). This is New Zealand’s first circular greenwall, a remarkable installation located in the heart of Auckland’s CBD with multiple vegetative pillars which are thriving.

We left the hop on, hop off bus tour for the second day to get a nice overview of Auckland, which has eclectic architecture and lots of lush green areas along its coast. One of the stops was the Auckland War Memorial Museum, which we were anticipating taking in the special WGIC2024 awards dinner the next evening.

That night we attended the only Congress event of our entire trip – the meet and greet Welcome Function at The University of Auckland on September 2.

Of course we got close to and hugged many people that evening and we certainly hope we didn’t spoil any other conference-goers’ plans (haven’t heard of any so far – fingers crossed). It was great to briefly see Manfred and Angela Köhler, Dusty Gedge, Steven Peck and Joyce McLean, Aslan Jonoubi, Eugenia Lin, Leila Tolderlund and her son, Geoff Heard plus many others. Here’s one photo of us along with some of our WGIN friends from the WGIC 2024 organizers:

On the third day (Day 1 of the Congress on September 3), we woke up early and felt horrible, testing positive for Covid-19. Now, both of us have had 6 shots each and I’ve had Covid before, but not Aramis. We got it fast and hard! And so started our 5-day quarantine in our hotel room.

As Media Partners, we at Greenroofs.com were so gung ho to join in everything, but alas, it simply was just not the case this time around. In addition to the actual WGIC2024, in particular we sorely missed going on a private tour to the spectacular Hundertwasser Art Centre and Wairau Māori Art Gallery Living Roof, about two hours north of Auckland, scheduled after the Congress.

By the way, I will finally be able to present my”2024 Top 10 List of Hot Trends in Living Green Architecture: Climate Action Drives Design” in Toronto from November 6-9 at the 20th Anniversary of CitiesAlive – hopefully we’ll see some of you there! It will be very special.

Kudos to all the organizers but in particular Zoë Avery, Director at The Urbanist Ltd, Associate Director of Design (Urban Planning) at the University of Auckland, Chair of Design for Nature, and the Chair of the WGIC2024 Organising Committee for doing a spectacular job under some very challenging conditions!

Here are some notable highlights from Zoë Avery of the Congress:

· Dr. Lyla June Johnston inspired us all, showing how we as a keystone species can foster biodiversity and abundance. Her call to learn from indigenous wisdom and rethink our goals and processes was a powerful reminder of our shared responsibility.

· Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson urged us to “go greener, faster,” reminding us that Auckland’s infrastructure must adapt quickly to meet the growing challenges of climate change.

· Simon Upton, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, highlighted the loss of urban green spaces, stressing the need for data-driven policies to protect these vital ecosystems.

· Rob Stokes, Chair of Net Zero Australia, warned against “lazy subdivisions” in the face of the housing crisis and emphasized thoughtful, sustainable land use.

· Julia Watson introduced the concept of Lo-TEK (“local traditional ecological knowledge”), offering a vision of ecological harmony based on living, co-evolutionary, and cyclical principles.

· Sir Ashley Bloomfield led a reflection on the connection between green infrastructure and public health, emphasizing that resilient cities must prioritize both environmental and social equity.

A special thanks to former PM Helen Clark whose panel reminded us that urban green spaces should not just benefit people, but also provide opportunities for humans to give back and support the wellbeing of Mother Nature.

She continues:

“The congress was intended to be a catalyst for change, and the feedback we have received, the connections made, and the collaborations started are testament to its impact. We are proud to have shared this experience with you, and the sentiment ‘Ko au ko te taiao, ko te taiao ko au’ – ‘I am the environment, and the environment is me’ – truly resonated throughout.” ~ Read all about “Reflecting on the Success of the World Green Infrastructure Congress 2024” from Zoë Avery’s LinkedIn post of September, 2024 and also on the WGIC2024 website.

As you may recall, we haven’t had much luck in completing our travel plans (yet?) in New Zealand so far. Last time we were here in 2014 we were involved in a car accident after a dream visit to Hobbiton, from which we very thankfully walked away but which also nixed further Māori cultural visits in Rotorua (see: Close Call in New Zealand – Thank You Nurses & EMT’s!).

This time we had also planned to visit the South Island and see Queenstown, Christchurch and surrounding areas – but had to cancel that, too. But we sure made the most of our time in Auckland! Once we tested negative, we were able to visit the awesome Auckland War Memorial Museum, a neoclassical building built on Observatory Hill, the remains of a dormant volcano.

Along with memorabilia from various New Zealand-involved wars, its three floors offer a plethora of galleries, movies, and exhibits ranging from Māori culture to natural history including dinosaurs to children’s areas and even a catastrophic earthquake scenario complete with rumbling and erupting volcanoes!

Hands down at the War Museum my favorite area was the Māori Cultural Experience, a separate ticket. I actually became emotional as indigenous artists and orators took us on a personal journey of their history with mesmerizing storytelling through drama, singing, dance, and the haka – a very powerful ritual. Talk about Personal Resilience via culture!

Waitomo Caves, Maori Cultural Village and Arts School, Te Puia Geothermal Park & Pōhutu

This was the Rotorua tour on our own that we had to cancel back in 2014 and then rescheduled as a day tour after Covid this trip. Our guide and driver, Simon of Cheeky Kiwi Tours, did an awesome job of enlightening us during this 13-hour tour as well as keeping us entertained between stops.

The New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute in Te Puia was up next where carvers and weavers on scholarships demonstrate their expertise. We were treated to behind the scenes views of daily student work, while the grounds are set within the Geothermal Park with its active geothermal geysers and mud pools. There’s also the Te Puia Kiwi Conservation Centre on site, where you can see exhibits on the endangered kiwi’s history and tour their silent, darkened nocturnal enclosure habitat.

Finally, we stopped alongside Lake Rotorua for some spectacular wind swept scenery:

We highly recommend Cheeky Kiwi as well as this particular tour, especially if you are short on time. Otherwise, I suggest you travel on your own if you feel comfortable driving on the left. In particular, I would have spent a couple of nights in Rotorua itself, a lovely lakeside town of thermal springs and baths and interesting architecture:

Albert Park

We were pretty exhausted after our long day tour, and since the next day was our last we just walked to nearby parks. Located in the heart of the CBD and next to the University of Auckland, the lovely and peaceful Albert Park sits on the previous papakāinga (village) named Rangipuke that occupied the site prior to European settlement. In 1845 the Albert Barracks were built here and the property set aside as a reserve in the 1870s, developed as a park in the 1880s.

With lots of specimen trees, shade, and benches, we saw many students chilling out while others strolled around its acres admiring memorials and artwork.

While resting on a bench I was interviewed by students working with Stuff about which national bird I thought should be chosen for their annual New Zealand Bird of the Year contest. You may recall last year’s international campaign for the puteketeke by late-night host and comedian John Oliver, which did win the New Zealand Bird of the Century 2023.

After just having seen a couple of North Island Brown Kiwis at Te Puia’s Kiwi Conservation Centre the day before, of course I suggested them as their Bird of the Year (actually, the hoiho, or yellow-eyed penguin, won for 2024!).

View of Myers Park from Our Hotel Room Explored

We did a lot of window watching during our five days of isolation in our hotel, and kept looking over at this pretty park on a hill, so we figured we had to go out and explore. Created in 1913-1915, Myers Park is sloping and linear and also a gully watershed hugging the banks of the Waihorotiu Stream, which descended from Karangahape Road into the city.

The quirky park has some engaging features, including playgrounds – rare for the inner city – with a variety of sculptures, from interactive musical installations to overgrown flower, bird and insect artworks to neoclassical statues. And it also has some nicely designed stormwater features. Learn more in the December 18, 2023 “When art and infrastructure meet climate resilience in prized city park” from ourAuckland. If not for our isolation, we’d never had discovered this gem.

That evening we went to The Churchill in our hotel, a rooftop gin and cocktail bar – the gin drinks were great and the ambience very cool! By the way, I have to give a shout out to our hotel, the Four Points by Sheraton, whose staff treated us wonderfully during our Covid-19 ordeal.

A Silver Lining: Our Son’s Wedding in Melbourne

We planned our trip to end in Melbourne, Australia to visit our youngest son, Ari, and his fiancee. After being together over 10 years, it turned out they decided to get married then since the parents would all be on the same continent! To say we had a fantastic time was an understatement, and I also got to celebrate my birthday with them, a very special day.

The couple got married in the beautiful seaside Williamstown Botanic Gardens, only made more beautiful by the glowing bride. Officiated by the lovely and lively “Funky Celebrant,” the garden wedding was attended by the bride’s mother, Aramis and me.

Short and sweet and we even got great weather (it had been raining for the past few days). Congratulations to the new couple! This was definitely the best part of our journey. As hard as it is to have a child living half way around the world, we’re so happy they found each other.

A Visit to Fytogreen Headquarters

To end our journey Down Under we met with Geoff Heard and his wife Jane for lunch and then on to the extensive Fytogreen Headquarters and Production Facility where we also sat down and chatted with the team. I’ll do a post soon about our visit to this highly interesting complex with lots of greenhouses and testing areas for greenwalls, greenroofs and wetland plantings, but until then here are some photos:

Personal Resiliency FL

Hurricanes Helene and Milton Decimate Parts of Florida, North Carolina & More

Six days after we landed back in Tampa we evacuated to our oldest son’s house for Hurricane Helene, where we were lucky to stay for a week with Joey, Hilary, and our almost 3-year old grandson Dezy (Desmond). And then just after our return home, we had to evacuate once more for Hurricane Milton where we again sheltered for 7 days, making the best out of a scary situation.

We fared well but this was certainly a testament to the importance of Personal Resiliency in terms of hurricane preparedness, being ready beforehand, listening to your local government, helping others around you, and having an evacuation plan – in our case again to Joey’s house in Palmetto, FL. When they tell us to evacuate, we evacuate. After all, we do live and work on a barrier island!

Here are some photos around Longboat Key right after Category 3 Helene hit about 120 miles offshore late on October 26 bringing in an estimated 4-6 foot storm surge to us – remember, this is a result from outer bands of wind, not a direct hit:

During Helene, Longboat Key suffered from storm surge and most true first floor properties were inundated with salt water. Everything had to be removed, with all household debris lining our streets along with sand. In fact, like many Florida communities, local governments were desperately trying to remove as much debris as possible before Milton could make projectiles out of the piles of water-logged furniture, clothing, and building waste.

With Hurricane Milton’s dangerous Category 3 center hitting us very close, about 9 miles away on October 5, we didn’t have any storm surge but we did experience very high winds up to about 110-115 MPH; for us here at Bayport this proved a much worse storm aftermath – but still nothing in comparison to so many others. Photos after Milton:

A couple of days ago Aramis and I walked the neighborhood directly to our north where we share a property line:

These photos of LBK are just to the south of us along the Gulf of Mexico Drive which I took yesterday:

Bottom line is that we got lucky in that we are elevated about 13 feet up and our condo was built very sturdily of CBS (concrete block and stucco), and we suffered negligible structural damage. Also, Milton never lived up to its storm surge potential of up to 15 feet here.

We are set on 27 acres of lushly landscaped botanical-like gardens which sustained much havoc and vegetative damage. As a member of our HOA’s Landscape Committee and its landscape designer, volunteer residents and I have much to clean up, design, and replace in the future but for now we are simply still taking stock and are grateful for what we have, especially as compared to the devastation our neighbors have experienced to the north on Anna Maria Island and Bradenton and south of us on Lido and Siesta Keys to Sarasota and beyond.

The one thing that we can count on here at Bayport is each other, even with differing viewpoints. While not always easy, we all work together to maintain and promote a healthy physical and cultural environment. Photos of Bayport:

FEMA representatives have been on the island for over a week, and a big thank you for all that you do!

Thanks also to everyone who checked in on us along way to see how we were doing, from Covid through the two hurricanes! We appreciate your concern.

Personal Resiliency Lessons Learned

After 41+ years of marriage and 25 years this month of working together in Greenroofs.com, we have tried to learn to roll with life punches and make the best of even the most trying times. I think we did just that with this trip and our return home. Yes, I wish we had been able to participate in the World Green Infrastructure Congress (WGIC) 2024 and continue with our New Zealand vacation, but perhaps we’ll return in the future. And yes, we are thankful to have a home to which we could return.

It may sound counterintuitive, but good Personal Resiliency requires some teamwork – be it a partner, family, friends, neighbors, or community – to thrive. We must know that someone else has our back, too.

Thanks, Aramis, for being a fantastic life partner and godspeed to all in the recovery and rebuilding efforts of those affected by the horrible aftereffects of Hurricanes Helene and Milton!

I’ll leave you with with a few more reminders of resilience found here in my neighborhood:

And, just because I can, I’ll share this photo from Auckland, too:

By Linda S. Velazquez, ASLA, LEED AP, GRP
Greenroofs.com Publisher & Sky Gardens Studio Principal