The Naki and Back #1

So once upon a long time ago The Husband bought a Rabbit motor scooter. Not sure why. The kids had quite a lot of fun on it. Eventually it died a quiet death with the engine giving up the ghost.

Years later, along came Trade Me, and for a few years The Husband has had a search running, and finally he became the proud owner of two old Rabbit motors. Except they had to be collected - from Inglewood. He seemed to think that we could zip down and pick them up in a day. Which we could have, but it would have been a long day with nothing to show for it but a couple of dirty old engines, so I reminded him that every WOMAD we talk of how we should go to New Plymouth at a different time of the year and see something other than the racecourse and Pukekura Park.

We love WOMAD so much that we immerse ourselves in it - WOMAD 2012 was the first year we left the festival for anything other than essential supplies (bread, milk, whisky) - we went for a walk on the Saturday morning and found the magnificent shoreline walkway and the Len Lye wand. We wanted to return and see the other end, with its bridge.

So after picking up the Rabbit engines and finding a motel, we drove to the northern end of the 10 kilometre walkway.

 We thought the bridge represented a fish, but silly us, it's a wave! Whatever, it's perhaps the loveliest bridge I've seen, and useful too - it also carries sewerage!

  Paratutu and the port.

 

  Just look at 'my' mountain? Isn't he stunning?

 You can read about how Taranaki came to live by the coast here.

 We were treated to a wonderful areobatics display as we walked along - I had to keep stopping as walking along looking up instead of down is not a good idea when recovering from a torn calf muscle.

I lived in New Plymouth for the last two years of my schooling, boarding at New Plymouth Girls' High School in 1967-68. Every day as I walked the short distance from the boarding hostel to school and back, I would look up at this glorious mountain. He has stayed in my heart ever since.