Wikipedia:GLAM/WestCoastWPAL/Postcards from the Coast
As part of the West Coast Wikipedian at Large project, all signed-up volunteers got a weekly "virtual postcard" delivered to their Talk page. It summarised the past week of work, listed possible articles to concentrate on in the coming week, and thanked volunteers for especially good work. Each one contained a photo I'd taken during the week, and had a "stamp" mocked up from an old New Zealand stamp with a Des Helmore sandfly drawing. All volunteers received a thank you to their Talk page at the end of the project.
Postcard #1 (2020)
edit| Postcard from the West Coast
Sunday 6 September: Blackball |
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| Welcome to the West Coast Wikipedian at Large project! This is your first weekly postcard with updates on what's been happening and ideas for things to do. • Yesterday I drove from Nelson to Blackball down the Inangahua River valley, taking plenty of photos (see my uploads), through Lyell, New Creek, Inangahua Junction (sic), Oweka, Rotokahu, Larrys Creek, Cronadun, Waitahu, and Reefton to visit the museum in Blacks Point, then on to Formerly the Blackball Hilton. Lots of these places need an article, improvements, or photos. • Inangahua is actually three localities: Inangahua Landing, Inangahua Junction (munted by the 1968 earthquake), and Inanguahua proper where most people live – the article's a bit confused. • This week I'll be in Greymouth giving a talk to heritage folks and another to tourism operators, and running an edit-a-thon on Saturday. It would be great for people to take a look at the Grey District library system who'll be hosting the edit-a-thon and see what Wikidata coverage is like. Libraries and museums are on the Art page of the project. • I had a really good Afghan in Reefton (right) and realised the article is terrible. Research needed! And more photos, if anyone wants an excuse to bake. • Housekeeping: please do note your contributions on the daily Progress Report: prizes for quality, quantity, and anything else I like. User:Schwede66 has been powering ahead. There's room to add a little more to the To Do list, but I want every red link blue by the end of October – plenty to do already! Thank you all. • Take care — Giantflightlessbirds |  |
Postcard #2
edit| Postcard from the West Coast
Sunday 14 September: Greymouth |
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| Hello all from Greymouth! There are now a dozen of you from Australia and New Zealand signed up to help, which is wonderful. • The last week has seen some great work, especially from Schwede66, MurielMary, and DrThneed, busily creating categories, stubs, and some really nice articles like Hokitika Clock Tower • This last week I've been in Greymouth, and gave a talk to the library staff, spoke to half a dozen tourism operators, and had a great edit-a-thon on Saturday, where the participants were so keen they organised another one in two weeks! • Check out Axel's reorganisation of the Greymouth category and see if there are photos that need articles. • The Greymouth article needs work, a gallery of historic buildings, and more references from news media and books. • Plenty of old buildings in the list to work on • Siobhan wants Wikidata for all NZ reserves, and I would like all tracks and walkways in Wikidata too, like the Rapahoe Range Scenic Reserve and Elizabeth Point Walkway – I took a bunch of photos there yesterday • Some of our new articles have been flagged (wrongly) because there weren't enough references yet; not to worry, but help if you can. I'm digging through local archives here for good sources. Here's a Google drive of local news stories by the way. • There'll be lots more photos going up in the next week so watch this space. In the meantime keep an eye on my uploads, photos from History House Museum, and more from the Grey District Library to see if there's something you can use. • Housekeeping: please do remember to jot down your contributions on the daily Progress Report, just so others can see and help out. Thank you all for your hard work! • Take care — Giantflightlessbirds |  |
Postcard #3
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Sunday 20 September: Westport |
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| Hi from Westport! The ridiculously nice weather has largely continued. According to Wikipedia the Holcim cement works is here, but I'm pretty sure it closed in 2016. Work needed on that article! • One result of appearing on Seven Sharp is that Tourism New Zealand and the Glacier tourism folks are now interested in chatting. Watch this space, I may be headed south soon. • MurielMary and DrThneed have been helping with the West Coast artists list, many thanks – I may have more print sources for bios. The Yvonne Rust book is good. • There's been some great teamwork this past week, with Canley and Schwede66 sorting out all the West Coast heritage buildings in Wikidata without photos, and me running round Westport with my camera taking pics of them. • About half the Stewart Nimmo photos are uploaded, and keep an eye on my uploads for more. Look for inventive uses: I added one to the selfie article. • I'll be working on Denniston Plateau, the Westport News, Becky Manawatu, EPIC Westport, the Kawatiri Coastal Trail, Granity, and Barrytown; all help appreciated. • This week I have a few more days at Westport and will do a day trip to Granity, then down to Hokitika on Friday for 10 days to work with the Museum and heritage groups. So do tackle Westport content this week; I can ask the Westport News for clippings if you need more sources. • Housekeeping: add what you do to the daily Progress Report, so we can all see and help! • Take care — Giantflightlessbirds |  |
Postcard #4
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Sunday 27 September: Hokitika |
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| Greetings from sunny Hokitika! The fine weather I've had for the last few weeks finally broke and it's been driving hail and wind today. • Last week in Westport was fun, talking to many local historians and photographers, and the Westport News (rewritten article) • Saturday I ran a workshop in Hokitika, yesterday a second one in Greymouth. One newbie improved the Dave McKenzie (runner) article and squealed when her changes showed up instantly in Google. Another ran out to take photos of the Pioneers' Memorial (right), and Schwede66 created an article that very night • This week I'd love help with Hokitika-area articles: sculptures of Hokitika, buildings of Hokitika, Guy Menzies, Hokitika Guardian (am meeting them tomorrow to get better sources), whitebait (the NZ aspect), Kaniere, Lake Kaniere, pounamu, Lake Mahinapua, Hokitika Gorge, The Luminaries, and the Hokitika River. This is a list brainstormed with the locals at the workshop, heartily recommend this technique • There are more photos by Stewart Nimmo of Lake Brunner and Reefton (including the artist Alison Hale (Q99304897), who's on our list. • It would be super helpful of somebody to look at the Hokitika area on WikiShootMe and check the locations of rivers, hills, etc against NZ Topo Map or the NZGB Gazetteer. • Dr Thneed wanted a photo through the altar window of St James Church, Franz Josef, and that same day Paora supplied one. Great teamwork, folks – it's been so nice to watch you collaborate. • Housekeeping: keep noting your contributions on the daily Progress Report. Thank you all for your hard work. • Stay warm and dry! — Giantflightlessbirds |  |
Postcard #5
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Sunday 4 October: Hokitika |
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| Kia ora from Hokitika! Tomorrow I pack up the car and head to Greymouth to present to Development West Coast our previous month's work, before heading south • Yes, Glacier Country are supplying accommodation in south Westland – Ōkārito, Franz Josef, and Fox – for the next two weeks. Possibly because I mouthed off to the media that Fox Glacier's entry is so short who would want to stay there? • So this week it's Ōkārito (splitting the article into settlement and lagoon), kōtuku, spoonbills, the West Coast Wildlife Centre (Q99767675), rowi, Franz Josef glacier (and NZ glacier photos in general glacier articles), historic buildings thereabouts, etc • I uploaded lots of Stewart Nimmo photos of the Haast area, and have some Paparoa ones by Jase Blair coming soon. • Pakoire noticed that Fayne Robinson (Q99836010) needs an article – can we collaborate on one? He's def notable and we need more coverage of Māori from the Coast. • Also women: see the Westland women in the WikiProject Hokitika Museum Google doc and Hokitika Museum Google drive. • Last week I wrote or improved articles about Hokitika Museum, Lake Kaniere, History House Museum, Lake Mahinapua, and Westland District Library. Error check, cleanup etc welcome. It's great to be able to work from folders and scrapbooks stuffed full of newspaper clippings! • Housekeeping: Thank you all for collaborating and filling in gaps, especially with historic buildings. Paora has been doing some great work. Please keep letting me know of any photos you need taking on the spot. • Take care — Giantflightlessbirds |  |
Postcard #6
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Sunday 11 October: Franz Josef |
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| Gidday from Franz Josef/Waiau! Deserted tourist town, everything's a bit pricey, but there are kea circling over the main street which makes up for a lot • I just spent three days in Ōkārito, wrote articles about pakihi and Ōkārito lagoon, and took/was given a lot of photos of Kōtuku and hiking trails. A dearth of printed sources on Ōkārito but there are enough photos and info to make at least sections/galleries for buildings like Donovan's Store (Q79300924), Ōkārito School (Q79303038), and Ōkārito Obelisk (Q79309599) on its article • There are too many photos of Franz Josef glacier! It would be great to make a curated gallery of the most useful ones on its Commons page. Also finding and uploading good photos from DigitalNZ and the Macmillan Brown A. C. Graham Collection would help heaps • Local heritage sites that need articles: the Hendes Gallery, Defiance Hut, Chancellor Hut • I'll be spending Tuesday in the West Coast Wildlife Centre, looking at baby kiwi and improving Haast Tokoeka and Rowi articles • Great to see a new Fayne Robinson article from Pakoire, and Maida Bryant from MurielMary; Paora's been beavering away on lists of mayors • Housekeeping: do reach out to any of the team for a hand if some random editor knocks you back or makes trouble. Don't let them rattle you! We're here to help each other. • Take care and be kind — Giantflightlessbirds |  |
Postcard #7
edit| Final Postcard from the West Coast
Friday 23 October:Reefton |
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| Kia ora koutou from Reefton! • We're in the last few days of the project, so time to wrap up loose ends. • Most of the last week I was based in in Fox Glacier, organising photo uploads from Fox Glacier Guiding of the glacier itself and Chancellor Hut, check them out • I've also photographed hiking trails and worked on articles about the West Coast Wildlife Centre, Lake Gault and Lake Matheson • Here in Reefton I'm improving the article about the town, have found info on the Inangahua County Library for DrThneed, and am writing about the Reefton Distillery • There are photos of all of Reeftons's historic buildings (and I've added a few), but no articles about the Reefton Courthouse or the Reefton School of Mines, and the Reefton Power Station article could do with work • Since I last wrote DrThneed has been hard at work on libraries, there's a nice Donovan's Store article from Gertrude206, much-needed improvements to pounamu by Pakoire, and Paora's been super-industrious with historic buildings but most importantly managed to produce a photo of the giant sandfly of Pukekura • Housekeeping: I'm sending out prizes kindly donated by Development West Coast and Friends of Waiuta to those of you who've worked hardest on the project, so if I ask for a postal address that's why. But even if you just signed up to get these postcards, that's fine too! • Thank you all for making a wonderful project work; I've never coordinated a team effort like this, and I think it's potentially a model for other edit-a-thons. Its been great fun. And I hope this has inspired you to keep chipping away, improving the coverage of New Zealand's beautiful West Coast. Ka kite ano, — Giantflightlessbirds |  |
Postcard #1 (2022)
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Monday 20 June, 2022 |
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| Kia ora koutou and thanks for joining the West Coast Wikipedian at Large project! I hope you enjoy helping improve coverage of the beautiful country of Te Tai Poutini over the next ten weeks • First, bookmark the 2022 project page to keep up with which topics we're working on • For questions and suggestions, use the project Talk page (and watchlist it) • There's a Useful tools section on the project page that's worth checking out • We're doing something different this year: instead of the daily reporting of 2020, we're compiling a weekly report: just edit the Weekly Progress page with what you did when you did it, no pressure to do something every day! • There are prizes for both quantity and quality • Online training for newbie editors (Mon 27 Jun) and Commons contributors (Mon 4 Jul)—see the About page and feel free to recruit friends • The focus for the next couple of weeks is Punakaiki: the pancake rocks (which need their own article?), Paparoa Track (a stub with no photos!), Cave Creek (much work needed, and photos of the track, creek, and memorial), and Barrytown, subject of a Wikiblitz but still with plenty to do • I'll be visiting the Punakaiki area and hopefully presenting on Wikipedia to the DOC team around the 29–30 June (depending on weather), and will take photos of tracks, river, points, islands, and caves–requests taken • Note: there's a West Coast Reptiles Wikiblitz on Sunday 3 July if you want to help improve articles about native lizards • Right, that's plenty! Maybe people would be interested in an online team chat? I could post a Doodle poll… • So looking forward to working with you all on this! • Mānawatia a Matariki, — Giantflightlessbirds |  |
Postcard #2 (2022)
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Tuesday 5 July, 2022 |
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Kia ora koutou and thank you all for your hard work over the last couple of weeks! We've had a cold snap here on the Coast, but at least the rain's slackened off and I've been able to get out on the blue sunny days and take snapshots • Schwede66 has been sorting out the Paparoa Range, cleaning up mountain wikidata, and expanding the Pororari River • We have a new article about the Truman Track, and a great photo selection for Cave Creek • Our hardest worker has been Marshalc, creating new articles on the Pancake Rocks, Bullock Creek, and the Inland Pack Track amongst others • I took a field trip to Punakaiki and sorted out the Wikidata and photos for every scenic spot between the Strongman Mine Memorial (Q112859334) and Hatters Bay (Q32217346) • If you're still thinking about helping, we could do with expanding the Punakaiki article, and sorting the best Pancake Rocks photos into a Commons gallery • Greymouth photographer Jase Blair donated some beautiful photos of Paparoa National Park which need using • The Avatar moth from Denniston Plateau (with its newly-improved article) will be RNZ's Critter of the Week on Friday • New resource: Mark Pickering's book The Coastal Journey (2010) (Q112841717) is free to download and a great reference • This coming weekend I'm off to Moana  on Lake Brunner (to photograph the bays, walks, and especially the Kotuku Model Bungalow (those are all Start-quality icons, hint hint) • Check out the Project page to see jobs there are to do, and how you can help out! Ka kite ano. — Giantflightlessbirds
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Postcard #3 (2022)
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Tuesday 19 July, 2022 |
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| Kia ora koutou and once again thank you for all your mahi over the last fortnight • We've been working on articles on the Lake Brunner area; the lake's article is looking heaps better, and it's in the queue for DYK • Marshelec, Swede66, and Turnagra have been the putting in lots of effort, with new articles on the Croesus Track, Mount Te Kinga, and the Pike19 Memorial Track amongst others • We've rescued lots of great photos from Flickr and other public collections • But these weren't enough: I did two field trips to photograph up and down the Punakaiki coast, and halfway around the Arnold Valley and Lake Brunner; numerous new Commons categories and Wikidata images resulted • Progress at the lake was derailed by having to be filmed for the evening news, editing Wikipedia in the open air while being attacked by sandflies (our project mascot is well chosen) • Over the next two weeks the focus shifts to Karamea, all the caves and walks of the Ōpārara Basin, and the Heaphy Track • There is plenty to do: the Wangapeka Track, Honeycomb Hill Cave, and Kahurangi National Park need massive work, so I'm stoked that Marshall and Lyn are joining me for a few days this weekend at Karamea to help • This is an area that critically relies on tourism, and it's embarassing the coverage is so bad in Wikipedia • Check out the Project page to see jobs there are to do, and how you can help out! Ka kite ano. — Giantflightlessbirds |  |
Postcard #4 (2022)
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Monday 1 Aug, 2022 |
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| Kia ora koutou and thanks for helping with this project • It's been a busy fortnight: I visited Karamea with Marshall and Lyn, and we spent the day on the Fenian Track, which now has its own article and over 100 photos of the valley, the local flora and fauna, and the three caves we explored • Yes, there were cave wētā and spiders • I also got to meet with local historians, photographers, and nature buffs who are keen to share photos and deluged me with print materials • The double hook featuring the Paparoa Track and the Pororari River articles appeared in DYK on 25 July and they got 3000 readers between them, but the accompanying DOC video clip got over 400,000 views! • The newly-created Copland Track article was in DYK the next day, and Lake Brunner will feature soon • Great work, everyone • Coming up: Te Wahipounamu and the Haast Pass—I'll be spending three days exploring and photographing the area, and could definitely do with help fleshing out the skeletal coverage of the lakes, localities, rivers, and wetlands of that beautiful part of the world • Check out the Project page to see the north-to-south list for South Westland, and pick something to work on; ask me for a job if you don't have one! Ka kite ano. — Giantflightlessbirds |  |
Postcard #5 (2022)
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Monday 15 Aug, 2022 |
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| Kia ora koutou; we're coming up to the home stretch! • I got back from South Westland with about 400 photos to upload and categorise into Commons • The DOC team down there are very excited about our project; they're busy reopening the Haast-Paringa Cattle Track with a new swingbridge, and I promised we would create an article with photos of all the huts • Archives New Zealand have a wonderful collection of tourist publicity photos on DigitalNZ; you could search them for pics of West Coast places for articles (see the ones I used in Pleasant Flat) • There's still plenty to do over the last fortnight of the project—if you could find some time to pick one of the biggest gaps and have a go at filling it, that would be great • in Haast, we need articles on Okuru (currently a redirect), Hannahs Clearing, the Roaring Billy and Thunder Creek Falls, and Ship Creek; I have photos of all of them • You could also check back through the Punakaiki, Lake Brunner, and North Westland lists for anything that needs expanding • In other news, I'm running an online workshop 7 pm August 23rd on Adding Photos to Commons; enrolment's free, share with any keen photographers you know • We're also having a Wikiblitz this coming Sunday to try to improve the articles about West Coast reptiles, and could use help • Thank you for all your hard work; I'd like to organise an online meetup on Zoom at the end of the project to look back at what we've done and have a think about next steps; will send some possible times • Ka kite ano. — Giantflightlessbirds |  |
Postcard #6 (2022)
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Monday 29 Aug, 2022 |
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| Kia ora koutou; well, it's time to wrap up this project • What a wonderful and short ten weeks it's been; I've really appreciated all the mahi people have put into improving articles about the West Coast • There's a summary of what we've managed to achieve in the final report • Briefly: 24 new articles, 5 of them in DYK, 974 edits to 193 articles, adding 73,800 words and 653 citations • We uploaded 1126 photos into numerous new Commons categories • Standouts for me were Schwede66's sorting out all the Paparoa mountains named after famous scientists, Marshelec's work on Karamea and Bullock Creek, and Turnagra creating the Copland Track article • There are small prizes going out to those three, but I also want to acknowledge all the effort of Paora, Chocmilk03, and Gertrude206—great stuff • I'm about to head off to Europe for a month, to attend the Wikimedia Summit and learn what European Wikipedians are up to, but despite time zones would like to have an online catchup with participants soon • Thank you again for all your hard work; ka kite ano and I hope we'll have another bash at the West Coast again soon. Don't be strangers. — Giantflightlessbirds |  |
Postcard #1 (2023)
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Wednesday 20 Sep, 2023 |
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| Kia ora koutou; so good to be a Wikipedian at Large on the West Coast again. • I've been setting up visits and field photography trips to Karamea (Oct 15), Fox Glacier (Oct 2), and Whataroa (Oct 9), and working through the typewritten Whataroa South Westland: Centennial Report 1879–1979 • Great work from Panamitsu creating the Waitangiroto Nature Reserve article, and Paora with Gerhard Mueller and Kere Tutoko (Q122695369). Prosperosity created Wikidata items and Commons categories for most of Hokitika's public sculpture, and I added over 100 photos and more items • Hoping to tag along on a kōtuku tour, but I'm also approaching photographers who've taken good pics of the colony about releasing their work for Commons • We should improve the kōtuku and Waitangiroto River articles with journal articles—and the Whataroa River and Waitangitāhuna River articles could do with a tidy up (there's a great article in Tane about how the former split in two, and the implications for the Waitangiroto) • Coming up are the Glacier Country tourism articles: can I recommend Lynley Hargreaves' new book Vanishing Ice as a reference? • Gillespies Beach Beginnings is recently transcribed and available in Wikisource as well • Keep at it folks, and I'll drop you a line in a week and a bit. — Giantflightlessbirds |  |
Postcard #2 (2023)
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Wednesday 8 Nov, 2023 |
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A bit of a gap since the last postcard, but what a great time we've had with the Wikipedian at Large project in the interim • The highlight has been having Marshall and Lyn join me on the West Coast for a few days, visiting Fox Glacier and Whataroa • We now have good photo collections for the newly-created Waitangiroto Nature Reserve, and a a much improved article with galler • The Whataroa article has been improved with local history and links to the White Herons • We also have much better coverage of Fox Glacier, including new Ngāi Tahu viewing place Te Kopikopiko o te Waka, and photos of Te Weheka Walkway/Cycleway and the South Side Walkway/Cycleway • Could I get you all to check back through your contributions and add anything extra you've done to the [Progress page as we wrap up • Also—I'm hosting a catch-up meeting on Sunday November 12, 2:30 pm, online at my Whereby chat room. This is a chance to go over anything you'd still like to see improved, talk about how the project went and possibilities for future ones, and announce winners of prizes for most or best contributions. Drop me a line at mike rove.wiki if you can make it (or can't but have ideas about the project) • Thank you all for your contributions, however small, and chat soon. — Giantflightlessbirds
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Sample Thank-You
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The West Coast Stamp of Approval |
| It was great to have you on the team for the West Coast Wikipedian at Large project, and I hope you'll keep helping to improve West Coast pages. Having such a keen and knowledgeable team of volunteers made the project a success. —Giantflightlessbirds (talk) 05:00, 28 October 2020 (UTC) |