Waiheke

Jervois Road

I took this photo in about 1989. It’s Jervois Road in Auckland, where Ponsonby meets Herne Bay, where Curran Street leads to the harbour bridge. Although it wasn’t the reason that I took the photo, I do notice that the shape of Jervois Rd reminds me of NZ. The neatness of the rows of houses is also very interesting to me.

Twice I chartered a small plane, with pilot, to fly me over some parts of Auckland. By having him fly as slowly as possible, and by bracing myself against the wind I was able to put my camera out the window and take some images. I don’t that I’ve ever published this one.

At the time I thought how much they reminded me of the Whites Aviation images that were such a feature of walls when I was young. Below are some of their c1952 photos of Auckland Central, and Waiheke Island, grey prints rather badly scanned on my failing scanner, unfortunately. Remember that if you click on these images you will be able to see more detail.

An overwhelming impression that the photos leave, is of a treeless land, of the hills having been scraped clean.

Here is Ostend, Waiheke Island, now so much more verdant.


Camping Waiheke. The dark blue shape on the right, under the plum tree is my tent. I slept in this tent for four nights, draped over by heavily fruiting branches. I went on a plum diet.

The plums in the top photo are in a Devonport garden where I stayed on Thursday night, after leaving Waiheke.

Waiheke Island, Christmas Eve 2006

When I first saw this structure, while out for a walk on Waiheke Island, I saw how it was the boat cradle photo taken at Ngawi, just posted hours before. I was surprised. It seemed at the time, as if I had chosen the Ngawi completely randomly so the Waiheke photo had the jolt of coincidence. I enjoy this new version, it seems lighter. It’s arrival was completely unexpected. I had my camphone on me and used it to take a number of views of this….actually, I’m not sure what it is. A boat cradle?

My camphone has a fingernail sized card that photos are recorded on. For some reason this particular card seems to be having trouble loading up from my card reader into a computer even though I have done it before. I need to look into it, but meanwhile I e-mailed this photo from my camphone, to my computer, for placing on this site. (Soon it will be possible to go directly from cell phone photo to posting.)

I was pleased and relieved that I was able to e this particular photo this way, as of all the pictures that I took on Waiheke, at the moment, I find this one the most interesting, and I didn’t want to lose it.