what was she doing?
I had my hands full of coffee, walking back from the Fuel kiosk in Hunter Street, through the courtyard behind the ASBBank tower and Grey Street.
She was making purposefully for the grating over a gutter, her desire to escape the light and noise of the city in the morning obvious.
I should have rescued her, swept her off her feet and taken her back to my place, where she could be safe. But no. In the grips of caffeine deprivation I walked past, with only a couple glances over my shoulder and a slight slackening of pace to signal my concern. I did not want to spare the time, and (to be honest) I was a little worried that in her state she might lash out at any potential benefactor. And then I was worried about my work colleagues, some of whom would immediately have reacted with fear and hate when they saw who I’d brought with me.
But I’ve felt guilty ever since. I should have done something. And all I can do now is the pointless expiation of this blog posting.
Where did she come from? What was she doing there? Where did she think she was going? Where is she now? What became of her?
Realistically, I suppose that the half-life of large adult female Wellington tree-wetas in a treeless court-yard full of fast-moving cars; rain-filled gutters; and weta-intolerant pedestrians is unlikely to be more than a few hours.
So I can’t imagine she’d have survived long.
Mr Reasonable
4 May 2005, 23:31 #
I should have gone back with you. They are amazing creatures although I am nervous now that I am reliably informed that they bite. Might not get too close next summer….whenever that is….bbbbbrrrrrr
llew
5 May 2005, 09:27 #
Rumour has it that they bite – but has anyone, or anyone you know actually been bitten?
I keep finding them in & around the dog bowl outside the back door… no idea how they get there.
Alan
5 May 2005, 09:36 #
I understood that wetas approximated rats and mice in the pre-human NZ ecosystem. So I suppose a bowl of dogfood is just takeaways for them.
And no, I haven’t come scross anyone actually bitten by one. But I’m not keen to prod one to see if they do – particularly the males. Those jaws… So as soon as they start to hiss, I usually leave them alone.
Martha
5 May 2005, 15:16 #
Yeah, I heard a woman on the radio last night saying they’re like NZs native rodents.
They are fantastic though aren’t they? You get all complacent in this gentle country and then there is this total kick arse looking beast. I understand they do nip, but it isn’t very bad.
MiramarMike
5 May 2005, 15:53 #
“Bite”, crickey they’ll have ya leg off. If they come in packs then it’s run for cover and get the cricket bats. Dangerous beaties thopse wetas.
Martha
5 May 2005, 18:59 #
I hear the Beaties Thopse variety are not to be toyed with.
Alan
5 May 2005, 20:03 #
Yeah – the “Totally Kick Arse Beaties Thopse Weta”. Early explorers nicknamed them the “antipodean piranha”; and they were the primary reason why it took Brunner three months to pass through the Buller Gorge.
The historians have rewritten the story so as not to frighten off the tourists, but in actual fact Brunner didn’t eat his dog – the wetas did. Brunner’s half-Tibetan porter Beaties Thopse was the first victim of the wetas – thus gaining the dubious distinction of donating his name to the species. The party had to flee the piteous screams of Beaties being eaten alive; and as a precautionary measure they slaughtered the dog, using pieces as decoy and bait. Brunner and his party were quite lucky – they emerged from the gorge just as the dog meat was starting to run out.
And ever since then, wetas being communal and quite intelligent, they’ve had a fixation on dogs and indirectly, dogfood.
Gryfon
6 May 2005, 12:13 #
Once, on a dare, I actually deliberately thrust a limb into the gaping maw of an enraged bull weta. I lived to tell the tale, although the scarring is horrible to behold. only later in hospital was I advised that their saliva(?) is both highly toxic and full of necrotic enzymes. And I believe even large breeds of dog can be seriously threatened by suficient numbers of weta – they attack in packs, in much the same way as the velociraptors did on JP2.
Martha
6 May 2005, 18:46 #
If I were to be a nerdy computer geek I’d say “lol”. As it is I’m lolling on the floor in hysterics at the poor half Tibetan porter.
Alan
6 May 2005, 19:36 #
Martha: ROTFLMAO is I think the nerdy computer geek term you are looking for.
house_monkey
6 May 2005, 22:34 #
Why don’t you get your coffee in a cup like everyone else?
Martha
7 May 2005, 12:30 #
Quite right Alan. However I feel I will never use such language in a million years.