Hi there! I recently started reading a book that takes place in a archipelago (A Wizard of Earthsea) and I'm very interested in learning more about real life ones, particularly the Polynesian islands and Aotearoa. I'm also really into ocean ecology and would love to know more about the aquatic ecosystems in/around the area.
I'm from a landlocked desert, so I really have no frame of reference for what life on an island would actually be like. I would love to watch some documentaries, but I'm struggling to find any (particularly for the smaller Polynesian islands which particularly interest me.)
Are there any documentaries (or even just movies) about your part of the world that you love? That you really feel represent it well? I did find Maori+ and have been poking around on there, but I wanted to ask you specifically because I really love your blog and your art, and I know you also care about ecological stuff like I do. Your blog is actually where I learned the word Aotearoa!
Anyway, sorry for this long ass message, thank you for reading and I hope you have a lovely day š
OOOH this is a fascinating ask!! fair warning, I am not YET a professional ecologist but I am a Massive Nerd and I'm halfway through my biosci degree with a specialisation in ecology so I'll do my best [:
another fair warning!! aotearoa is WEIRD AS SHIT for a group of islands. our biomes/climates range from subtropical to alpine. on one single island we have mangroves + palms and we have snowy mountains + evergreen conifers. aotearoa is also ABSOLUTELY MASSIVE for an island nation. we're almost 2000km long!!
the main parts of living on an island are:
you can't really travel for long in any one direction without bumping into the sea. or a harbour or bay or estuary or
mostly EVERYONE lives by the sea. all the most densely populated areas are right by the ocean! as such we eat a lot of fish and there are a lot of water based activities that many people enjoy nationally. LOTS of sailing, fishing, swimming, etc. there are LOTS of sailing races around here.
the ocean makes its way into a LOT of polynesian mythology. time and time again in mÄori folklore you'll find references to sea/river monsters, seafaring, etc. simplified for time but there are lots of incredible tales out there!
in polynesia specifically, there are a LOT of volcanoes. lots of lava rock. SO much lava rock. means these islands are crazy fertile with LOTS of lush greenery!!
the aquatic ecosystems are honestly too varied to summarise well. down here you get kelp forests, orcas, sea lions (our sea lions are wild- they travel deep into our forests to raise their pups!!), sharks.... but up around samoa you get crazy coral reefs and lots of warmer climate creatures
I unfortunately don't know any documentaries that would match what you're looking for, but roughly 20% of my followers are kiwi so check the comments in a while and someone might have what you're looking for!! [:
