UNDERFOOT NOTES / Sheet 1 of ∞ / Scale 1:1 boots
Clear answers about the ground we walk on, from pebbles to plate boundaries.
depth: 0 cm
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Historian of Earth Science
Izaiah writes the history of earth science: the people, arguments and patient measurements behind what we now take for granted about the ground. He likes nothing better than finding the moment an idea finally clicked for someone, and the long detours before it did. He is quick to say he is still learning, and that the best part of history is how often careful people were wrong first.
30 cm
Writer, Life
Priya got into geology by way of earthworms, after wondering where all the garden soil came from. She likes joining up ideas from different fields and often admits her first guesses were wrong. She hopes her pieces make you want to turn over a leaf and have a peek.
60 cm
Writer, Sky
Ottilie watches rain run down a hillside and wonders where every drop ends up. She writes about weather and water as slow sculptors of the land, and she's grateful to a friend who first showed her how to read a simple map. She keeps a small notebook of puddles.
90 cm
Writer, Matter
Tane keeps a shoebox of pebbles, each labelled in pencil, and some of the labels have been corrected more than once. He enjoys working out why a stone feels heavy or looks speckled, and he thanks his nan for the first magnifying glass. He writes in short, careful sentences so nobody gets lost.
120 cm
Senior Explainer, Earth
Moana grew up skipping stones on a South Island riverbed and still can't walk past a gravel bar without looking at what's in it. She likes to explain things one small step at a time, and she's quick to say that a retired farmer taught her to read the layers in a bank. She is still learning something new every time she crouches down.
150 cm
Writer, Physics
Hemi writes about heat, pressure and why the ground sometimes shakes, always starting from something you can feel with your hands. He learned most of what he knows from patient library books and a neighbour who tinkers with bicycles. He likes a small joke, as long as it's on himself.
180 cm
Writer, Big Questions
Lucinda writes brief pieces on very large ideas, like how long a mountain takes to wear away. She trims each article until only the useful parts are left. She's still learning, and she thanks every reader who writes in with a kind correction.
210 cm
Writer, Matter
Rewi writes about what rocks and water are made of, and why they behave the way they do when they freeze, crack or crumble. Most of his thinking happens at the kitchen table with a pot of tea and a patient dog, and he is happy to admit when a first guess was wrong.