Monte Cecelia Pah Homestead

Allie told me about this place.  She had visited it not long ago and was impressed.  I discovered that I could easily get there.  I would take two buses; the first would let me off across the street from our favorite bread company in Point Chevalier, (You know what that means.) and the second would deliver me to a spot just 1/2 block from one of the entrances to the park which surrounds the mansion. How could I not go?   

I think the word pah in the title comes from the Maori word pa, which is a fortified hill fort-like area.  There are many such pas around the Auckland area that I've seen.  Most of them have terraces with steep sides that allowed the defenders of the pa to have the upper hand, so to speak, over the attackers.  I've read that many pa also had kumara (Like a sweet potato) plots and deep holes dug for water storage.  

This particular pa was abandoned, Wikipedia says, in the mid-1800's and the land was eventually purchased by James Williamson.  He had his 'gentleman's residence' built between 1877 and 1879. 

The home and park now belong to the Auckland Council and are maintained for the public to enjoy. The home houses an art gallery on two floors and a café which Allie tells me serves a great halloumi sandwich. 

Today, I'd like to start to show you around this beautiful place.  It'll take at least a couple of weeks worth of posts to do so, of course.  I took a bunch of pictures.  

Let's get started. Walk this way...

Oh boy, it's a grapefruit tree!  Unfortunately, even though I sort of accidentally bumped a couple of the branches, no fruit fell.  

Climbing the first hill beyond the citrus tree, I find that there are other gorgeous trees here. The early morning light makes for a lot of contrast under the dense canopy.  

I am fully inside the park now and on the top of a small hill.  I am looking toward one of the 'Kings' that made up the 'Three Kings'.  The Three Kings refer to the cones of the volcano, Te Tatua a Riukiuta, as well as the surrounding suburbs.  That cone that you see is the only one left.  The others have been removed, mined away for the pumice that formed them.  

We have a ways to go before we get to the homestead, but I'm in no hurry.  The morning is perfect.  About 55 degrees, (F.) and sunny. It's about 10 a.m. 

There it is, in the distance. I mentioned earlier that this area was originally a pa, right?  That means it's a hill and I have more work cut out for me.  

This tree I believe, is a Moreton Bay Fig, and happens to be one of the largest specimens of the species in NZ.

Here we are.  

Next week, we'll go inside.  I love exploring old buildings and this one's a keeper.   -djf