Ellerslie

I pass through Ellerslie when I take the bus to Martha's Backyard and I've noticed that it seems to be a really lively little place. While it's no more than a few blocks long, it's always been crowded with people shopping and sipping beverages in cafes along the sidewalks. I decided one day to stop and investigate this suburb of Auckland. I was glad that I did. It's a convivial kind of place. I discovered for example that it has one of the top ten butcher shops in the city. Come along with me to Ellerslie.

 I've just hopped off the bus. 

Here is my first look at the town from the sidewalk. Let's see what I can find.  

 This is a tiny place, but it's in the top ten of Auckland butcheries. Because of the reflection on the glass, you can't see the loops of dried sausage that they have hanging in the window. There must be a hundred feet of it, all coiled up. It is very good. Not spicey at all, but still flavorful. Jeanne says it has cloves and nutmeg in it. South African I believe. Interesting stuff. 

 I've walked to the far end of the town, about three blocks from the bus stop, and see this pedestrian bridge that crosses the southern motorway.

 Like so many other structures here in NZ, it is not simply utilitarian. It has been designed and built as a piece of useful art. 

 As you walk up the circular ramp, you notice that someone has even added a whimsical door to the Norfolk Pine that grows in the center of the structure. 

This is the view along Ellersie's 'main street' from the top of the circular bridge. 

Standing here, I realised that the feeling I got when I walked through Ellerslie just now was very like the feeling I remember when I walked through Florence, Wisconsin once, many, many years ago...Oh no...he's about to start reminiscing....

Oh what a day. Middle of summer back in '71. I was hitchhiking to my home in Wakefield after visiting with Jeanne on the farm for a couple of days. My last ride had dropped me off just outside Florence and I began walking along the three blocks or so that made up the whole of the downtown of this little berg. 
It was sunny and warm and I discovered that the town had installed speakers on many of the light poles along main street which were playing music. It was delightful. I had had a wonderful few days with Jeanne and her family, I was making rapid progress toward home due to excellent rides, and all was right with the world. I even discovered a little liquor store toward the edge of town that sold miniatures. I went in and bought a 125 ml. bottle of Tia Maria for Jeanne. (drinking age was 18 then) It seemed to me than that life with Jeanne in such a small town would be very pleasant indeed.  

Tile work around the bridge. Ellerslie has been famous in NZ for it's racecourse since 1857.  It is the main racecourse in Auckland for thoroughbreds and is 1,900 meters long.

 Ah, another claim to fame for Ellerslie. Top pie accolades in 2012 and they are still making the award-winner. Okay, gotta try it. It's made of chicken, cranberry and Camembert.

(It did turn out to be very good but I think next time I'll go back to my old favorite..plain old chicken.)

 There is a nice park in town.

And it was here I decided to sit by the fountain and enjoy my pie. 

 I wandered into some residential neighborhoods...I really like 'neat old houses' like this one.

 I returned to main street via a very well kept alley.

 So many murals here, of all sizes.

Here is an Indian restaurant that was just opening as I walked by. This is the outdoor portion. Do you recognise Gandhi and Mother Theresa?

The public restrooms. Many of the smaller cafes and takeaway places here don't have such facilities so public ones are very welcome. 

Well, that's about it for my tour of Ellerslie. Doing a little research about the town, I came across this interesting fact. I do remember hearing about this on the news, way back when.                                                                                                                                      -djf

 Copied from Wikipedia...
The Ellerslie Meteorite[edit]

At 9.00 am on 12 June 2004 a meteorite crashed through the roof of the home of the Archer family in Ellerslie.^[8] The meteorite landed into the living room of the house, bouncing off the couch and hitting the ceiling. The home owners heard an explosion and saw dust everywhere, but nobody was hurt. This meteorite is officially named the Auckland Meteorite, despite tradition demanding that a meteorite is named after the nearest post office. However, an Ellerslie Meteorite had already fallen in Australia.^[9] The rock weighs 1.3 kg and is estimated to be around 4,600 million years old.^[10] It is the ninth meteorite found in New Zealand and the first to hit a home.^[11] According to Auckland University experts, a meteorite that crashes through a roof is a very rare event.^[10] This meteorite received world-wide attention and an American collector offered the Archer family $50,000 for the space rock. The Archers declined this offer, favouring the public display of the rock in New Zealand, so that anyone interested could view it.^[9] The meteorite has been since on display in the Auckland Museum, where it can be seen in the Origins Gallery.^[9]

.....stayed tuned for the next post when a creature never seen before invades our yard!