I can’t remember ever seeing anyone upset while riding a horse. Whenever I see people riding horses they seem to be having the time of their life, unless you count jockeys who have just fallen off and they look in agonising pain. Which, to be fair, they probably are! Since we are on the subject of horses, did you know that the Police Offences Act of 1928 made it an offence to allow a mare to be mated within sight of a public road, church, railway station or wharf? This was the same act that meant you weren’t able to beat a carpet or fly a kite if it annoyed others. It was also illegal to wear felt or slippers as a disguise at night. However, the best part of the 1928 Police Offences Act is that they use the terms rogues, vagabonds and incorrigible. All words we should bring back into our daily vocabulary. Other words I would also add to this list include hootananny, hornswoggle cockalorum and tittynope. John's Blog https://blog.caswellimages.com/ The latest print price guide: https://bit.ly/3oLw9OI
Having collected a range of photos from the Mapoutaphi Pa, Canoe and Purakanui beaches that I would work on over the next few months, I left the Bay behind to start my trip back to town. As I was leaving I happened upon a sight that warmed my heart. An honesty box. Back when everyone was a lot more trusting of each other and carried cash, the honesty box was a staple of New Zealand life. You saw them everywhere and you could buy all sorts of things from them. All you needed was a little cash and a sense of right and wrong. When I was young we used to stop at them and buy fresh fruit like apples, cherries and peaches. Closer to town you could buy vegetables and fresh farm eggs and the challenge was always to get everything home safely without it being broken, eaten or squashed. So leaving Purakanui my heart leapt when I saw one. I hadn’t seen one in years and I was almost overcome with excitement. There were fresh eggs, carrots, onions, cabbages, cauliflower and courgettes, all home grown of course. Newly dug heritage spuds, beetroot, an assortment of books and freshly baked bread that made my stomach rumble. I considered all the options in front of me and was seriously tempted with the smell of the bread. My thoughts drifted off to a steak sandwich with mustard mayonnaise and spicy tomato relish which would accompany the bread wonderfully. The only drawback was that unfortunately I have long since joined the band of people who no longer carry cash and I didn’t all together trust myself that I would remember to pay later. I decided it was best to leave the goodies for others and headed back to my car, happy in the knowledge that some traditions are still alive. John's Blog https://blog.caswellimages.com/ The latest print price guide: https://bit.ly/3oLw9OI
I left the charm of Aramoana and headed back to Port Chambers before heading over the hill to a bay called Purakanui. A distance of only 28 kilometres, but it’s a splendid drive that gives you remarkable views of the whole northern coast of Dunedin. Before leaving Aramoana, for a moment I had considered walking up to Hayward Point, which is a cliff top walking track through farmland and regenerated forest. There are two starting points for the track to Heyward Point. One is at the end of Heyward Point Road and the other is from Aramoana. I had been at the Aramoana starting point but the uphill climb was one I couldn’t face, so I ended up deciding that it would be better suited for a day when I was a little more enthusiastic about hills! Besides, today was more of a car travelling day and I had promised myself I would play Bob Dylan’s 1976 Desire album at some point during the day and that seemed much more appealing.I also wanted to reach Canoe Beach and the Mapoutaphi Pa Site at Goat Island at Purakanui and I was already pushed for time. John's Blog https://blog.caswellimages.com/ The latest print price guide: https://bit.ly/3oLw9OI