Nelson Park School revisited

Although my children dont go to this school I have always found it very picturesque.

school logo on one of the buildings 

 

mural on a pat a tennis wall

 some photos I found of the Centenary Celebration 

 

I have always liked their outdoor areas

 All the classrooms have their room number written on them in both English and Maori.  I took a photo of just 3 of them.  I quite like the reflections in them too.  Ruma means room the next word is the name of the number in Maori eg:- Tahi is one.  

a nice place to eat lunch under the Pohutukawa tree 

Nelson Park

I have had internet problems.  Unfortunately my tech savvy son is away on holiday otherwise the post I promised on Saturday would have been up yesterday, sorry folks.  Without further a do here is Nelson Park which is right behind Nelson Park School.   

Jull Road gates 

Nelson Park is mostly used as cricket grounds.  It has seven grassed cricket blocks which are used for both international (the first one ever was played in 1921 between Hawkes Bay and Australia) and games held between different cities in New Zealand (the first one ever was played in 1920 between Hawkes Bay and Wellington).  It is also used for some of our local school cricket teams.

On the fringes of the park there is also a tennis club with 6 courts and a clubhouse, a petanque club and a club house for a drones and sticks band.

 

Morris Road gates

these gates were built 8 years after the gates at the other end of the park

They were gifted by the family of Thomas Harvey in remembrance of him.  He had been a police officer at Napier Port in the 1880s.  He retired in 1901 and died a year and a half later.  

Nelson Park School use it as a play area.  To take this photo I stood inside the school beside the library.  he children are allowed to go though the gates and play  there at lunchtime with teacher supervision.  

Nelson Park School

On my walks recently the lych gate for this school seemed rather attractive.  It was erected in 1929.  Fifteen years after the school was opened.  The present and former pupils recently celebrated the school being 100 years old.     

To remember that fact and because a pukeko (a native bird of New Zealand) is part of the school's logo 3 were erected.  They help to children to have an understanding of nature and the environment :)

Tomorrow I will show Nelson Park itself.

Where I found Santa on Christmas Eve!

filling up a LPG gas tank so someone could probably have a BBQ on Christmas Day.  What a busy fellow he is!!  It is thought that Santa visits New Zealand as one of his first destinations - I guess he was waiting for it to get dark enough ;) 

Merry Christmas from Napier

The New Zealand Christmas Tree (Pohutukawa)


Apparently in 1833 Henry Williams held a church service under one.
A Pohutukawa Carol  (composed by army chaplain Ted Forsman in 1941)

Now crimson, crimson Christmas trees
Pohutukawas rim our seas
And flower to flame on every shore
For joy of him whom Mary bore.
Chorus: Babe so poor and small
Jesus God of all
O with us abide
This holy Christmas-tide.
Long raise, O trees about our land,
Your crimson sign on every strand
That we may tell each Christmas morn
Why Jesus was of Mary born.
Such trees gave wood to make his cot,
And all his toys from trees he got,
And when he came to ply a trade
He shaped from trees the things he
made.
Because a tree had brought us doom,
Was Jesus born of Mary’s womb,
To blossom high on Calvary’s tree
The crimson bloom that makes us free.

Blue Skies and a Sunset :)

Had a request for blue skies :)  I have been busy lately work, Spring/Summer cleaning while both my boys are away on holiday and walking in the evening as its HOT so these are actually from my archives from about a year ago.  Shall endeavour to get some more blue skies in the next few days :)

Westshore looking towards the Port of Napier 

not blue skies but one of the best sunsets I have captured on a walk on Bluff Hill 

Ahuriri 

Christmas Time In Taradale

Christmas in Taradale although its suppose to be Summer time however its taken time to show it 

Napier Old Fire Station

Built in 1926 had to be reconditioned 1932  after the earthquake

Hawkes Bay Airport

Yesterday my older son went on his annual holiday to his Grandfathers.  I thought you might be interested in seeing our domestic only airport here in Napier.  Do you have a big airport or a little one near where you live?  

the plane he went on finally there was a delay due to some of New Zealand having bad weather 

History of our airport

Before the 1931 earthquake the land which is now the airport was under the sea

After the earthquake 

In 1932 volunteers from the Napier Aero Club built a new aerodrome.  There was a airplane show for its opening. 

There was a weather bomb in 1938 caused severe flooding.  The building in the middle of the picture was the airport terminal which was a converted tramcar.  In the 1960s solutions were put in place so this wouldnt happen again.  

From 1938 there was a daily service from Gisborne to Napier to Palmerston North on 12 seater airplanes.  The tramcar continued to be the terminal and  taxis took passengers from Napier CBD to the airport.  

In 1953 bigger planes started using the airport as air traffic control started being used full time.   There was now also a new tarmac.  

In 1963 there was a new sealed runway and the NAC Friendship started,  There was a bus especially to get passengers to and from Napier and Hastings to the airport.  Up until now the airport was known as the Beacons aerodrome now it became the Hawkes Bay Airport.  The government and local authorities now ruan it.  

In 1964 the Hawkes Bay Airport was officially opened.