Life here in Tauranga, with time, has increasingly become more familiar with a feeling of belonging. You could say like a pair of well-used shoes, more home-like and less smelly than shoes, and more alive as we look for opportunities to participate in life, despite the cling of Covid and the Squires cancer battle.
Monthly trips to Auckland
Yes, the Squire must still have regular meetings with specialists in Auckland and Tauranga. One of the more pleasant aspects of making the most of these trips is to head outdoors and explore what Auckland does best – it’s parks and reserves.
A gentle walk up to the One Tree summit – without the one tree
Local Surroundings
Quite a few significant happenings can occur over three months. One, in particular, stands out regarding our local landscape: the demolition of buildings. Once sighted, then the next week, a distant memory. Let’s hope more of us have the patience and the foresight to see it as a positive, and I believe it will be when it’s all done and dusted.
As you know, I head in many more directions than the Squire in any given week, so for now, I am the teller of demolition stories. It never occurred to me to dwell on how easy it is for our environment to alter quickly. Then there is mother nature, and wow, when she has a hissy fit, all hell breaks loose, with floods damaging a significant area of the North and South Islands. The Squire says there are quite a few redheads now grey that can equally cause havoc if the truth is to be told.
To keep the local’s chin held high and to stay positive with all the upheaval which occurs with change, the council has encouraged artists to display their art by creating murals and contemporary outdoor artworks.
The latest contribution during this winter was the construction of “Midnight Sun” by Sara Hughes. Her stunning artwork comprises 96 individual panels of glass together, creating a total of 260sqm. The artwork is suspended above the former Willow St bus shelter. It wraps around the wall and front of Tauranga Art Gallery to Wharf St, creating a beautiful corridor of coloured light for us central city-dwellers.
Sara Hughes creates public artworks to be inclusive of people of all ages and backgrounds.
“At its essence, Midnight Sun is about a sunset that never sets, it’s about holding on to that feeling you get watching a sun sink toward the horizon. That is a universal experience, something everyone has experienced.
A positive, vibrant gesture to a city undergoing significant social and physical changes.
Chasing Laces
On our wintery mornings, which were sometimes cold and wet, and sometimes as sunny as summer, I gave thanks for trees on every one of those warmer mornings. When the cold was more apparent, I found it easier to up the pace a notch or two, even when the rain made my nose feel like a ski ramp for those annoying raindrops. It was refreshing, and I felt alive being outdoors, pushing my boundaries further by getting fitter. Other times, I was nursing overstretched hamstrings and a back that screamed “No more” more than once.
It’s not always the scenery nor the distraction of the more finely-tuned runner in front of me. There are numerous quirky local moments while out, like the young woman walking and reading a book simultaneously, which beats holding onto a phone, I suppose. Not unlike the story of the Squire riding his cycle to school on a metal countryside road while reading his comic book. Funny how the present ignites a past story.
Life at No. 22 
Lovely post and many caring comments. Your tree pictures are especially beautiful, and as a history person, I love the connection of the city view. I’m wishing you the best for spring 22.
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So happy to catch up on your winter with you, Suzanne … lovely vistas and artwork! Hope your back & hamstrings have recovered and that you are back on track with your training plan!
I am leaving your page with the image of Squire reading while riding his bicycle …
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Beautiful artwork on that bus stop. I don’t think glass would work very well here, so I’m glad it’s respected.
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So far so good.
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I love the one tree sequence, Suzanne. Good that you can take something positive out of the hospital visits. It’s been a scary year for you two but you can beat this.
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Thanks very much, Jo. I would’ve gone crazy by now if I hadn’t dug deep and got on with it. Though some days 😉 It has been and still is stressful and exercise for me is a healthy outlet.
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Lovely views from your walk up the hill, especially the rainbow – always a sign of hope 🙂 That bus shelter art looks wonderful. To stand under that on a dull day must be so uplifting!
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Rainbows are one of the more positive results of rain and it does bring the child out of me when I see one. Luckily the taggers are also in appreciation of it and haven’t sprayed on it. It is a cheerful sight 🙂
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The older I get the more I appreciate trees, even though I can’t climb them anymore.
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Was never a tree climber my mischief energy was used elsewhere.
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Tree climbing was not mischief. We had three apple trees and it was a way of reaching some of the fruit without damaging it, There were other trees that I wasn’t supposed to climb, though 🙂
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I like both your photography and your prose – evidence of an adventurous soul
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You’re very kind, Derrick, thank you. I’m definitely an active relaxer.
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An ex colleague once commented that I’d prefer to see time stand still. He was so wrong. I embraced and welcomed change and new technology in our school, but I disliked change in general when there was no good reason behind it, similar to fixing something that isn’t broken.
Today though I’d probably agree with him, I would love time to stand still.
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Yes, I fully agree with you Sue regarding change for the changes sake. Buildings had to be demolished due to new rules regarding earthquake protection. We aren’t called shaky isles for no reason 😉
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Yes change is constant and happens so rapidly and how quickly I tend to forget what was there once the new and huge buildings take over. So it is good to look back on your images from the past. What lovely scenery you have shown us of the Auckland parks. Best wishes for the Squires continued recovery, these things can be so slow.
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Thanks very much, for the best wishes. Change is constant and the city centre was in dire need of a revamp. Invigorating having a revamp as the buildings were certainly of no historical or architectural significance. They can’t build too high due to NZ’s being prone to earthquakes.
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Your last photo looks like a painting. So nice. And, I recognize that green hill that once held a tree. Let’s hope those trips to Auckland become less frequent in the near future – or they happen solely because you both desire a day trip into the big city. 🙂
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Thanks very much, Liesbet, there are a few things we would love to revisit and enjoy together in Auckland. One day 🙂
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That bus stop is lovely. The local trolley added a stop not too far from our house… sadly, it looks like whoever designed it was colorblind. Continued best wishes to you and the Squire.
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Hi Janis, thanks very much for your best wishes we can’t have too many of those. Funny regarding the person being colour blind or perhaps they wanted a conversation piece while you waited 😉
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