When I started this blog, I said that its purpose was to share our adventure of discovering New Zealand with any of you who would care to learn about it. That continues to be its focus. Most of the time, I have tried to show you grand adventures we have undertaken or at least moderately interesting ones. Sometimes I have shown you items of more 'subtle interest'. Some might even call them boring, who knows? The one about benches comes to mind as an example of one that lacks high adventure. Low comfort maybe. But I think that they all, the great and the small, have their place on this blog because everyone of them shows you yet another piece of the pie that is New Zealand.
With that statement in mind, I give you yet another offering of a quiet and unexciting nature.
Today's post will show you some of the neighborhoods around us. Henderson's population is around 40,000 I'm told, so this little photo-essay is showing your just the tiniest tip of the iceberg that is Henderson.
Not long after we began walking Amiri to school, way back when, a neighbor noticed that we invariably walked him along all the main streets. This neighbor, an Asian lady, stopped us one day and said, "You go that way, it's shorter." I took this kindly person's advice and walked in the direction that she had pointed, but was very unsure that it was the smartest thing to do. I wondered if I had heard correctly. I walked to the very end of the street she had indicated before I spotted a 'shortcut.' This shortcut eliminated two blocks of walking. What a time saver when you're walking a 5 year old, and twice a day besides.
Since that time, I have discovered that many of the neighborhoods around here are connected at some point with what the Kiwis call walkways. Today's series of pictures will show you some of the neighborhoods around us and some of the walkways between them. I hope you don't nod off to sleep while looking at them. I promise you a livelier topic next time.
Many of the walkways are camoflaged.
Here's one that is two shortcuts in one. Where the walkway angles left up ahead, you can also take a right.
This is the view down the right hand walkway. When you get to the end of this walkway, you find that there is another one, (below) that extends all the way to the Paremuku Park.
Some are plainly visible.
This one leads from a corner of the 'turf' at Summerland school into a neighborhood next to it.
Your blog today reminds me of the poem "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost. I loved the message of that poem. These walkways remind me of all the ways you can get to your designation--the school. I was amazed at how well these walkways are maintained. It was almost refreshing to see one in disrepair. New Zealand is so amazing that it is good to see some imperfection once in while. I love that the walkways are likely generally safe. Often, in my city experience, I may be afraid of the walkway if it could be dangerous to walk off the beaten path. Of course, in NZ, I think it is safer than here. Still, I am sure there are many unsafe places in the city also. Of course, this is Henderson which is much smaller. That was so nice of the lady to point you to a short cut. I used to walk about 3/4 of a mile to the bus in really dark and cold weather. I would have loved a walkway to shorten the distance in Winter. McKenzie
ReplyDeleteGood point about the poem.
DeleteWe are lucky to live in quite an affluent and relatively safe area, although, as I've said, NZ is no Eden and there have been house break-ins here and even murders committed locally. We have never felt threatened while walking, but it always pays to keep one's eyes and ears open, wherever you are.
I loved all these walkways like secret paths that you discovered! How cool, some would even make an interesting painting!
ReplyDeleteNow That is interesting. As an artist, you undoubtedly see the world differently than I do. Which of them is most interesting?
DeleteDad, there is a walkway by my work (actually two in a row...a shortcut from the train station) that has a mature FIG tree overhanging it. I like this post. The simple things do make life richer.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that you like it. I know the tree you mean. It is huge. Most of its figs are way out of reach. It was the first fig tree I came across here.
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