Guys, I know it’s been way too long since I’ve done a giveaway over on the blog. Can you forgive me?
Let me try and make it up to you.
A few months ago as I was wasting quite a bit of time pressing the interwebs, as I so often am wont to do when I’m meant to be working, when a news article popped up letting me know Jane Goodall was coming to New Zealand.
Oh my fucking god. My hero. We all deserve the chance to meet our heroes, right?
Stick with me, guys, I’m giving away two pairs of tickets to hear Jane Goodall too!
I’ve admired Jane Goodall my entire life, and she has been inspiring my love for wildlife and the natural world since I was a kid.
Only a little younger than me in the 60’s, she journeyed deep into Africa to immerse herself in the world of the chimpanzees. And with a lot of heart, hope and sheer passion and determination, she changed what we knew about primates but also helped to develop species conservation and is a dynamic player in the race to save the planet. We are all part of the animal kingdom.
I can hardly think of anyone more inspirational.
Marking my calendar, I was logged in on the dot the minute they went on sale, and managed to nab two tickets to meet Jane Goodall at her talk in Dunedin in June. Yipee!
And it’d be selfish of me not to share, right?
I don’t know about you guys, but the more I travel, the more I am confronted with my own privelage, in so many diverse or alarming ways, but something that has been on my mind more and more frequently over the years is just how amazing our world is and how fragile it has become… because of us.
We are quite literally destroying the planet, a fact that is so hard to stare at we have become accustomed to just ignoring it, me included. Global warming? Is it hopeless? What can we possibly do at an individual level? What power do we have over money and governments to change the world? It’s so goddamn disheartening.
Yet at the same time we have to try, right? Every trip I take I love the world a little more. Every journey I go on opens my eyes a little wider to just how special and wonderful the planet is. And the more I travel, the more I had learned to see beyond the superficial and shiny facade and see real problems we are all facing.
I want to help save the polar bears in Svalbard. I want to fight to stop New Zealand from destroying its rivers and birdlife. I dream of inspiring people to really see the planet for what it is and hopefully encourage them to want to save it too. I want to change how we see the world. Imagine if everyone actually gave a shit and tried to protect everything, we could instantly reset the clock and change the world.
The more I travel, the more conscientious I’ve become around conservation. What was it about traveling opening the mind and broadening horizons…?
How can you travel, be wooed by the magnificence of the world and NOT try and do everything you can to save it?
But perhaps what I am most excited for meeting Jane Goodall is listening to her talk about hope. This is a theme that has always been very important to me, in all aspects of my life.
And that even though we live in a challenging world, there’s still hope for the future. So let’s talk about the hard stuff, and what really separates us from the animals.
So I am giving away two pairs of tickets to her shows in Australia and New Zealand, so you can come and be inspired too.
Australia dates
PERTH
Where: PCEC
When: 7:00PM Friday 09 June
MELBOURNE
Where: MCEC
When: 7:00PM Friday 16 June
BRISBANE
Where: The Courier-Mail Piazza
When: 7:00PM Sunday 18 June
SYDNEY
Where: Hordern Pavilion
When: 7:00PM Friday 23 June
New Zealand dates
DUNEDIN
Where: Regent Theatre
When: 6.30pm Sunday 25 June
CHRISTCHURCH
Where: Isaac Theatre Royal
When: 6.30pm Thursday 29 June
WELLINGTON
Where: Michael Fowler Centre
When: 7.00pm Monday 26 June
AUCKLAND
Where: Logan Campbell Centre
When: 6.30pm Saturday 1 July
So to enter, just fill out the Rafflecopter below. I’m giving away two pairs of tickets, so there will be two winners and you can each bring a friend to any of the events above. Let me know if you have any questions!
Oh, and be sure to leave a comment and share a moment when you realized how much you loved the world and/or it’s wildlife.
The competition will run until May 17th at 5pm New Zealand time.
Congrats to Isabelle and Grace for winning, and thanks to everyone who entered!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Good luck!
Do you want to listen to Jane Goodall? Have you ever had a figure inspire you like that? Are you an activist for saving the planet too? Share! And tell me why you want to win and where you could go to see her!
About the author
I love Jane Goodall as well! She’s been my hero growing up. We have one world and yet so many people treat it like it cannot be destroyed. We are causing amazing animals to become extinct, we are creating greenhouse gases and destroying the atmosphere. People see spiders and squash them. I believe that if we all just spent more time in nature, and realized we ARE simply a part of this earth, the world may be a better place. Jane Goodall followed her passio. And took care of the primates and showed others how special they are. I hope to be nothing short of as amazing as she is. To see her in person would be my dream come true. I am from va, but I would love to fly to NZ! I would come in a heartbeat.
exactly!!
Hi! I am a writer moving to Queenstown this summer and would love to go! I agree with you that it would be incredible to hear her talk about hope and learn more about her work.
Oh cool!
How I wish I didn’t live on the other side of the world right now!
haha
I just came to New Zealand and would love to listen to her in Auckland. Ever since I moved to Canada and discovered a new hobby – watching wildlife – I’ve seen way too many tourists (both unaware and aware of rules) breaking the rules of wildlife watching. And it’s the least they can do to protect them – observe from the distance without disturbing them. People don’t realise that taking a selfie with a bear might result in an actual attack if they bother the bear. They would have to put the bear down if he attacked a human. Imagine that! And it would be that person’s fault. I don’t care if people get offended when I remind them the rules, but I always do. All the best to you Liz and all your efforts in New Zealand and everywhere else where you’re trying to change the world!
I hate that, but it makes me really happy to hear you’v noticed what I’ve been up to here in NZ, trying to change things one step at a time!