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
How proud is Dunedin of Baldwin Street, the steepest street in the world. Ffordd Pen Llech in Harlech, Wales took the title for about ten months in 2020/2021 until sanity prevailed and the title was given back to Dunedin. I’m not altogether sure why I went to Baldwin Street. I think it was mostly to get a photo to add to my collection like the one posted today. To be honest, I wasn’t too adventurous with my photos as I captured the traditional slanted letter box and cabbage tree image that seems to feature heavily on social media. I did however grab a few other angles and shots that I would tuck away for a rainy day. Also, in case I ever met anyone from Ffordd Pen Llech I wanted to be able to say ‘told ya so!’ John's Blog https://blog.caswellimages.com/ The latest print price guide: https://bit.ly/3oLw9OI
