The Warship on the Hill

Bristling with signalling devices this building on the heights of Mount Victoria could be part of a warship.
It was built in 1927.

Lonely on Kent Terrace

Flanked on one side by a second-hand car yard and on the other by Colonel Sanders, this neo-georgian house must wish for some more illustrious neighbours.

Street Art on Allenby Terrace

The taggers have found a prime site on the well used set of steps officially known as Allenby Terrace.

Athfield's Adam Art Gallery

The gallery space was previously a stair well.

Another Church.

Frederick de Jersey Clere with over 100 churches to his credit was in effect the house architect for the Anglicans in Wellington but his talents were also recognised by the Catholics.

A Classical Facade in Newtown

A Family Occasion

The Prairie Influence in Cranmer Square and Marvellous Churches.

Cranmer Square in Christchurch has been listed as a Special Amenity Area and several buildings are protected, including the old Normal School and one that was owned by architect, Samuel Hurst Seager.

One that is not but deserves mention is on the corner of Chester Street West . Its design was clearly inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright.
The suburb of Sockburn does not have the same respectability as Cranmer Square but it is home to a notable building the Church of Our Lady of Victories.
The Stations of the Cross are in the form of window bays.
In the vicinity is another noteworthy place of worship; the Chapel at College House.
The Chapel is part of a complex modeled on an Oxbridge college.

Looking Downwards

Houses are cheek by jowl in the Wellington's Aro Valley.

Looking Skywards Again

The Kircaldie and Staines building contrasts with its younger neighbours on Lambton Quay.

Looking Skywards

Motivated by the new conventional wisdom which says we should walk more to save the planet we have started emphasising the possibilities for city walking.

On a recent walk myself I captured these pictures of Wellington buildings which justify being looked up to. They are the Hope Gibbons building on the corner of Taranaki and Dixon streets and the Arlington Flats (now called Apartments) a work by the young Ian Athfield.

Parliamentarians Travel North

It is one hundred years since a train first traveled from Wellington to Auckland on the NIMT (North Island Main Trunk) line carrying Parliamentarians to meet the Great White Fleet.

The Parliamentary train prior to leaving Wellington.

Most of the track has since been electrified but a steam locomotive pulled the train on the first section out of Wellington on the commemorative journey. This locomotive was the last steam locomotive to be built in New Zealand. A Ja Class it was manufactured in the Hillside workshop in Dunedin in 1956.

Back in 1908 the permanent track had yet to be completed so that temporary line had to be laid for the parliamentary train. Later that year the NIMT was officially completed when the last spike was driven by Sir Joseph Ward.

Our Lady at Paraparaumu

Inspired by Art and My Life and the belief that it should probably feature on DayOut I visited Paraparaumu today to photograph the 14m statue that is visible from State Highway One.

On the short path leading up the hill there are 14 stations of the cross, two of which have tiled decoration by the sculptor, Martin Roestenberg.

The statue of Our Lady is hard to classify. Some may consider it kitsch, a viewpoint encouraged by the tawdry second-hand shop featured in the film "Second Hand Wedding" which is next to the start of the walking track.

A comparison with the Angel of the North an edifice also visible from a main road springs to mind but the Angel is even bigger and less overtly religious though its virtues as a work of art have also been questioned. They both add interest to the landscape.

On the Waterfront

For a brief time this morning, the sun shone revealing the full glory of Wellington waterfront's shed 13. Shed 11 is in the background.