Ahu Mairangi

This is the hill previously known as Tinakori.
We’ve walked it many times and blogged in 2007 and 2009.

This morning everybody else was busy or having a lie-in so I set off alone after breakfast. I went down through the Botanic Garden which has some nice autumn colour.
The day was threatening rain

but it held off and I was able to get some reasonable shots. Here, looking south you can see (from bottom working upwards) the Chinese embassy, Tree House and Glen Road.

It must be getting near the end of the cruise ship season. Today’s visitor appears to be sitting on the stadium, with Matiu/Somes in the background.

The motorway snakes around the harbour heading out towards Petone and the Hutt Valley.

At one time the old government building was the largest in Wellington. Now it is dwarfed nestling amongst it’s modern counterparts. It is still the largest wooden building in the southern hemisphere, and second largest in the world.

When the hill was renamed to Ahu Mairangi the lookout was extended and rebuilt.

From it there are good views over the city and harbour.

Along the top of the hill the Ridgeline Track extends on towards Wadestown.

On the slopes at the end of the track is the pillar that featured in two posts last May.

The inscription notes various landmarks around the harbour. Tangi Te Keo is the Maori name for Mount Victoria.

It was starting to spit as I came back through the Botanic Garden but I made it home before any serious rain fell.

Lastly, as a follow up to last week’s post, I have moved the plants that were smothering nikau number one. It looks better already.

The Not-so-secret Garden

Jeneane has lifted the lid on my weekend activities. It’s not so much a secret, just difficult to access for visitors. You need to be a bit of a mountain goat. There is a path leading up from the back garden.
I’ve put some bricks and markers to help keep feet in the right places.
This is looking down the steepest part of the bank. One day I am going to come a cropper and end up in the brambles on the right.
I planted two nikau in June 2006. They are slow growing and six months ago I thought this one was a goner. With some additional care, involving feeding, watering and encouraging some shade from nearby plants it appears to be flourishing now.
Here is the other one. I think some of the shelter plants need to be trimmed back and then it will take off again.
The more established plants get the more self-seeded specimens arrive. I especially like all the ferns that start as minute, just visible to the naked eye, babies and quickly grow into commanding specimens like this one.
This cabbage tree was planted in October 2006. There is a 2007 photo towards the end of this post. It is now over 2 metres tall.
Here is a long shot from the bottom showing part of the extent of my planting. The pohutakawa in the centre (with the lighter coloured new growth) were 15 cm seedlings when I planted them in August 2005. (The shot taken looking down the bank was taken from the clear area at upper-mid left.) I’ve cleared blackberry from the left and during late autumn and winter will be planting various seedlings I have scattered round the place.
Down on the flat the veggie garden is a bit wild and woolly. I have a virtual forest of mizuna at the back. The flowers are calendula which were good in suppressing aphids on the broad beans before Christmas.
We are now well into autumn and it feels good to have a full wood store. Most of the timber came from larger trees cleared from up the bank.

Ali’s Birthday

We have had visitors this weekend. Jeneane and Kitty came up from Canterbury and Ali was down from Tauranga for her birthday.

I had commented on Jeneane’s blog that her fruit looked good enough to eat and she kindly brought some up, together with some interesting looking potatoes.
I cooked them and we had them for tea with a very palatable lentil and mushroom pie.
On Friday night we all went for tea at the Firths'.

Sophie had baked Ali a cake which we helped her eat.

This morning, being the actual birthday, we had a champagne breakfast before Ali caught her early flight back to Tauranga.

Very excitingly, I was interviewed by Jeneane for her blog. I hope she got a good photo of me up the bank. Keep watching for her to publish it!