As I’m standing on this beach I’m reminded …

… of how important it is to share land. Throughout my time in Canada I always struggled to understand the notion of ownership of land and the inability to walk and visit beaches above tide lines. In North America people can own land that stretches all the way to the tide/waterline. As a visitor here, in NZ, I notice that private homes and land begin and ends far above the tide line. This coincide with laws in Scandinavia and many countries throughout the world. It surprises me how in North America, land being stolen from indigenous peoples, and yet land is not shared. On many occasions in Canada, not just the west coast but also lake country in Ontario, I was chased off beaches, rocks and sea grass area, because it was “Private properties”. So when water has reached high tide lines, these waterfronts are difficult to use and land owners a struggle with sharing. As a paddler, diver, swimmer and lover of nature, I think these laws of “no trespassing”, needs to change somehow. I’m not a politician so I am not entirely sure how… the bottom line here is that we are all visitors and private ownership of land is a strange concept, especially in colonized countries, such as in North America and Oceania. I particularly remember, coming up to the surface after a dive outside Nanaimo, and swimming towards land and being yelled at “this is private property”. They even sent a dog out, and yelled “he is aggressive”. I understand this is not the norm, however I wonder if the sense of ownership results in inability to share and be a decent human.

As a side note, in Sweden we have a law called “Allemansrätten”, which ensures that all persons have the right to spend 24 hours on any land. People have some common sense and do not pitch a tent in someone’s garden, however, if needed they can pitch a tent in someone’s field or on the beach in front of a house. I believe that humans are for the majority kind and respectful and will honor privacy of others.

During my short visit here, I find people friendly, community oriented and open to tourism. They seem authentically willing to share their land, and therefore have free camping and the ease to use public land. Again, we have so much to learn.