When Larnach’s Castle was being built in 1871 it was named “The Camp.” Today the name lives on in not only the road leading up to the castle, but the track that leads up from Broad Bay to the Castle. After leaving the castle, I continued along the road that went around the side of the expansive property and headed down hill to where the track started. Along the way I couldn’t help but stop and admire the view that took in the sweeping surrounds of Harbour Cone and out to Taiaroa Head. It truly is a majestic sight. John's Blog https://blog.caswellimages.com/ The latest print price guide: https://bit.ly/3oLw9OI
The camp track was used as an access point to get building materials from Broad Bay, up to the castle. I tried to imagine the motivation that would have been required to transport some of the stone and timber up the hill to what was then known as “The Camp.” My attention soon quickly turned to Broad Bay. Known to local māori as Whaka Oho Rahi (meaning 'a place of plenty') it was once a location where food was gathered like kaimoana. After European settlement populated the area it became a popular 'holiday resort' and boating location. In the early 20th century Broad Bay hosted an annual New Year's Day Regatta where crafts sailed from Dunedin to the bay. Leaving Broad Bay behind my walk now took me to Macandrew Bay which is another delightful peninsula community. There’s an art gallery, a playground, a boating club, a popular family beach and a dairy which happily satisfies the ice cream cravings of many youngsters. John's Blog https://blog.caswellimages.com/ The latest print price guide: https://bit.ly/3oLw9OI
One of the truly genius ideas of recent times has been the addition of a walking and cycling path along the peninsula road. No more are long lines of traffic held up by a slow moving cyclist holding up traffic as they battle a head wind down rocketing down the harbour. Now the locals can happily slalom their way into town in cars, using the center line as nothing more than guide, leaving walkers such as myself happy and safe to enjoy the delights of the harbour. At one point I rounded a bend to meet a slight headwind, not strong enough to spoil the day but enough to make it difficult if you were on a bike. Just then, a family on bikes appeared. Watching families on outings like these is always a curious thing. In general, the Dad is always out the front having a wonderful time while the mum is left trying to encourage an unhappy child who looks ready to give up at any moment. On this occasion there was a second child desperately trying to keep up with Dad while a third trailed the mum with a look that suggested this wasn’t the ‘fun day out’ that had been promised. As they passed, I mentioned what a great day it was to get an ice cream at Mac Bay. It didn’t seem to help matters! John's Blog https://blog.caswellimages.com/ The latest print price guide: https://bit.ly/3oLw9OI
