Odd Days In

Saturday was a recovery from Queenstown day and we simply walked along the windy sea front. On Sunday the weather was iffy.We all set off, but the rain started, causing between car conversations, ending in going to Ambury Farm Park, where it did not rain and Zoe enjoyed the animals. Ambury is a large flat area sticking out into the Manukau Harbour south of the city centre and on the west. Auckland sits largely on a narrow strip of land joining two larger land masses. Manukau Harbour is ringed by land with an opening into the Tasman Sea. Waitemata Harbour is also well protected and leads into the Pacific. There are also numerous other bays and inlets. The farm is council owned and has a number of domestic farm animals on show. There is also a camp site. The visit is free. We had lunch and coffee at 'The Coffee Club' on the way home.

Monday was a day to forget. Zoe came home and fell down stairs. Access to the house is up a flight of concrete steps. Once up the house is on one level. However, there is a part completed room down a steep flight of steps. There is a 'secret' locked door to this flight of steps. Mum uses them to go to washing machine in a smaller room off the lower room which is something of a library. Zoe fell about two steps , but landed on her head on the carpetted floor. She was very dazed. Her mum and dad took her to the emegency medical centre. There was no harm done.

On Tuesday the linemen arrived at the building plot next door. They sat in their vehicles for most of the morning out of the torrential rain and when I left for my appointment in Auckland they were sound asleep in the corners of their vehicles.

My meeting in Auckland was in the bishop of Auckland's offices with the Bishop's chaplain in charge of local shared ministry. Basically the church in Auckland have very little cash, a widespread and declining congregation and so they are doing church by ordaining local people to run their own churches. This is having the effect of increasing the numbers who attend church in NZ. Clever kiwi solutions to the kiwis special problems.

Before this meeting I cleaned my shoes. What with? Kiwi polish and a Kiwi brush (no joke).

On Wednesday the linemen and the builders returned. This time the builders sit still as the linemen do their work.

Linemen at work

Each section has its own pole. The electrical power criss-crosses an estate on street poles. When a house is built the linemen run cables from the street poles to the section pole. One red, one, yellow and one blue. They quickly completed the task and left the pole ready to be connected to the section at the right time.

After this the builders began their work. The yellow digger dug out a road way at the far side of the a lorry tipped out hardcore. The digger filled the lorry with soil and rubble. The lorry went away. The digger spread the hardcore along the road way. The lorry came back with more hard core and tipped it out for the digger to spread and refill the lorry. This process continued until a longer firm road was laid.

Clever stuff.