The lower view actually shows more of Paraparaumu. At the time Waikanae was regarded part of the Horowhenua and was in the old Horowhenua County.  The local government reforms of the late 1980s made it part of the Kapiti Coast District Council area, which makes more sense as the beach is dominated by the view of Kapiti Island.

As today is considered in Europe.  It also happens to be a solar eclipse day there.  In New Zealand of course it is effectively the first day of autumn and deciduous trees will soon start turning gold before their leaves fall to the ground.  Mostly that applies to exotic leaf trees as only about 14% of New Zealand native trees are deciduous.

The KCDC electoral officer today informed me that two nominations have been received for the Community Board vacancy which means that an election will have to be held.  I had hoped that someone could be elected unopposed, but that now won’t be the case.  So will I stand for the vacancy now that there is going to be an election anyway?  It’s something that I and Eva need to consider and decide within the next 10 days.

Geoffrey Churchman

A photo taken by Chris Bradley of a northbound goods train with a KA class locomotive in the last full year in which steam hauled trains were regularly seen passing through Waikanae.  The next year 1967 saw the end of steam in the North Island.

The shop sells Frosty Jack ice cream (which existed from 1924 to 1967) among its wares. The Google streetview below shows the same spot now.

Artist unknown. Clearly this must be well into the Tararua foothills.

Nice.

Obviously this looks south along State Highway One and the railway towards the town area.

From memory this was about the time that the road bridge over the Waikanae River was replaced with the present one and may also have been the time in which the level crossing with the railway just south of it was replaced with the present underpass.

Further to January’s post in which we asked who the backers of the huge Waikanae development are, a reader has sent in this extract from the companies office records for Maypole Environmental Ltd.

The Smiths seem to be the inheritors of the land on which the development is planned, the other man, Mark Rouse, presumably their financial backer, is a property businessman. (Thanks, Jill)

Three pictures taken on Wanganui’s main shopping street, Victoria Avenue, which is worth checking out.  It has big leafy trees, nikau palms, vintage lampstands, flower boxes and more.