A Drive Home

Yesterday (Saturday) I spent a most enjoyable day on the croquet lawn. Afterwards I went to a friend's to collect a lasagne dish and have a cup of tea before driving home. It was about 1820 as I drove along Prebensen Drive and as I turned to face roughly south towards Te Mata peak the sky was fading with a special light reserved for Autumn evenings. Night was closing in. As I turned into the Cottage drive it was almost dark. I suddenly realised how privileged I was to be looking forward to long drawn out summer evenings and the fact that, in two months, there would be no complete darkness on Lewis because the sun will dip momentarily behind the horizon to emerge soon afterwards as if the day had never ended.

So on the few remaining nights that I am here and not going out I shall savour the opportunity to curl up and read or listen to music or watch TV with the darkness of the night staring at me through the large windows.

Phoenix Palms (Phoenic canariensis)

One of the main roads into Napier from Tarradale and Hastings in the South is Kennedy Road. Around 1925 (at a cost of about 25/- per tree) it was planted with Pheonix Palms (Pheonix canariensis).

Another of the main roads into Napier is Prebensen Drive. It is on the North side of Napier coming in from Auckland in the far North and the Airport. It passes the industrial and commercial area. It too is lined Pheonix Palms. It is only since I looked at writing this posting that I realised that the Palms were the same; the former set being considerably more mature versions of the latter.

Because no-one to whom I spoke could remember what the palms were called I popped into the iSite (Tourist Information Office). I have always found the staff there exceptionally friendly and helpfull. There I got the answer.

I also found a wonderful book entitled "What's in a Name: The Streets around Napier". I thought that it would give me the meaning of Rotowhenua Road. Alas it does not. I'm not sure why but perhaps it's something to do with only one side of the road being in Napier! The other side is technically in Hastings. What the book does give is a mass of information on names and about things such as which streets have the best examples of which trees. (Kennedy for Pheonix Palms will be no surprise).

The hill behind the trees is Napier Hill.