GUNDRY'S GRUMBLES with Simon Gundry
Park Pleasure and Leisure… but at a Price
Simon Gundry is a Devonport and North Shore identity, and character, who is known for calling a spade a spade. He is a director of contracting company Gill & Gundry, is an enthusiastic and active sailor (past crew-member of Ceramco New Zealand and Lion New Zealand in Whitbread Round The World races and Shockwave in Admiral’s Cup) and is a life member of the North Shore Rugby Football Club. This is his regular and lively contribution to CHANNEL.
Park Pleasure and Leisure… but at a Price
Goodness me, it’s July again, the shortest day has been and gone and we are crashing quickly towards the Rugby World Cup 2011, and then, as suddenly as it began it will be over and Christmas will be arriving. I’ve said in previous columns, visitors to this country must leave with a desire to return. We must make their stay as pleasurable as possible. There might only be a small part we can play, such as asking visitors if they need directions, or even inviting them in for a cup of tea. It doesn’t take much. I hope our hospitality industry can stand the strain from 80,000 odd visitors. Everyone must be given a fair deal and not leave feeling ripped off. It’s going to be a fun 44 days, I can hardly wait.
I read with interest recently that a working party has been set up to create a pocket park at Hauraki Corner. This working party will be made up of members of the Devonport and Takapuna Local Boards, and will work in conjunction with the Lake Town Green Community Board, whoever the hell they are. The history behind this is, the old North Shore City Council bought an old house on the corner of Jutland Road and Sydney St, Hauraki – they took the house away with the proposal of putting a park there for the locals, as admittedly there aren’t too many parks in that area. The area now sits with a picket fence around the green lawn. The local residents now want this to be a place for older residents to meet, and socialise and the under-fives can have access to a playground. This sounds like a wonderful idea, as I said: there aren’t a lot of parks in that area. Mind you, there is a beautiful foreshore nearby to be walked upon and explored, especially at low tide. There is also the beautiful Takapuna Beach no more than a brisk ten minute walk away. This is one thing they haven’t got though, a local park. The suggested plans and ideas that have been put forward to the local board for consideration are a seating area, swings, exercise equipment and a green space. The Lions Club of Takapuna has said that the Hauraki area has an increasingly younger population and there are no suitable playgrounds for children in the area. The only playground in the area is at Hauraki Primary School. The Takapuna Lions’ Club also suggested the name for this green should be Lake Town Green – which all sounds very nice. I fully agree that the area probably does need a playground or an area where locals can meet, but here we go – the budget for the park is $1.1 million. How the hell can $1.1 million be spent on some 600m2 of park? I know quite well you could build a beautiful home on that piece of land for $1.1million, that would include European bathrooms and kitchen, double garage, and all the bells and whistles. On thinking about this, I did a basic budget and you’d struggle to spend half a million let alone $1.1 million.
I just find it incredible how frivolously our ratepayers’ money gets spent. I suppose 50% of this budget will be for planners, consultants, then the building consent, resource consent, more consultants, the odd arborist or two, a road management plan, a Health and Safety plan, and various hangers on all ready to clip the ticket. I know quite well I could get in there and build a beautiful park for well less than $200,000 let alone $1.1m – mind you I am led to believe by my impeccable sources that the park on the corner of Lake Road and Hauraki Road that has suddenly appeared, has a cost of well over $1.1m. As I drive past there at least half a dozen times a day, I have yet to see anyone sit there quietly reading a book, doing their macramé or playing chess with their family. I wonder where these planners get their ideas from?
There is another park on the corner of Esmonde and Lake Road, as you turn left into Esmonde Road from Hauraki, which was developed a couple of years or so ago, a small and cosy enclave but I’m yet to see anyone sit there. I can fully understand Councils buying up foreshore houses and converting them back into green areas, as has been successfully done adjacent to the Takapuna Boating Club – this provides a beautiful area of green for lunchtime readers, weekend yachtsmen and family groups picnicking in the summer. It’s a damn pity it’s surrounded by a giant car park and not enhanced by restaurants and cafes as it so richly deserves.
I went to visit a friend recently at the Takapuna Hospice, he’d been a great friend over the years, since Primary school, and was not much younger than I am. It was indeed a very, very sad half hour I spent with him, because I knew it would be the last time I’d see him. I left in tears, and I walked back through the corridor of the Hospice and outside to where my vehicle was parked. On the way back, one of the staff noticed my distress and asked if I was alright. She spent a few minutes with me, with comforting words, it made me feel so much better. What a wonderful job those people do at the Hospice in Takapuna, I would love to thank them for the wonderful love and care they gave my friend when he was there during his last days on the North Shore. It is a place of much sadness, but also a place of much love and happiness. They do their best to make these people’s last days as happy and comfortable as possible. Thank you, all the staff at the North Shore Hospice, you are a wonderful collection of people.
Enjoy your lives and enjoy your families.
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