Otahuhu, then and now

To get to Otahuhu, I take our Western Line train to Britomart and then transfer to the Eastern line. It's in, as you might be able to guess by looking at the stacks of railroad car containers in the picture below, an industrial suburb of Auckland. I pass through it on my way to Martha's Backyard. I did spend part of a day there though, some time back. 

It was in the Otahuhu area that I once walked, alone and unaided by a support crew, the entire width of New Zealand AND back again! It's true! There are lots of famous hiking trails all over NZ, and in my own mind I believe that by accomplishing this feat, I established a new trail which I call the Foster Trail. (Unfortunately, no one else has paid any attention to my unparalleled achievement and I'm the only one who recognises the Foster Trail.) 

And now for the rest of the story...  (remember Paul Harvey?)

It just so happens that the Otahuhu area is where the North Island is the narrowest. There are bays on both the western (Tasman Sea) and the eastern (Pacific Ocean) sides of the island that almost meet. There are about 3 kilometers of land between the bodies of water here, measured as the crow (or here, as the tui) flies. When I realized this, back in 2013, I made a plan to walk all the way from one side to NZ to the other, and back again, all in one day. On the roads I took, that distance is 3.3 kilometers. (one direction)

I had a good time. I got off the train within sight of the Tasman Sea and walked over to a city park on the Pacific side. I snooped around the park, rested a bit, ate my sandwich, and then walked back. There may be some who try to minimize my sojourn, but, I did in fact walk the width of New Zealand that day. (and back) 

Well, that's the background info on Otahuhu. The two pictures below show its old-time railroad terminal and the new.                                                                   -djf