And now I'm
indulging myself by telling you a little bit about Devonport – not Devonport in the UK or Tasmania but the suburb of
Devonport in Auckland. No, I don't live
there but I know someone very well who grew up there.
Devonport
originally had its own Borough Council until it was subsumed into North Shore
City which in turn was subsumed by what is known as the Supercity –
Auckland. Super – mostly as in size
since over a quarter of New Zealand's whole population live there.
This is a
view of Mount Victoria – one of the notable landmarks in Devonport.
And this is
the view from North Head – you can see gun emplacements from WWII up there
which were supposed to protect us from submarines etc.
The
Esplanade Hotel is a much beloved local institution. It is right opposite the ferry terminal on
the waterfront.
The houses
in Devonport have managed to retain their special historical character.
A ferry has
plied between Devonport and the Central Business District since the
1840's. Before the Harbour Bridge was
built that was the only way to get to town.
The largest
and only Naval Base is in Devonport (the suburb was named after the town with a
large naval base in Devon). And this
picture is of our navy – just about.
Finally Devonport was the
home of 2 well known New Zealanders. Sir
Peter Blake of yachting fame and Lorde, the fab singer – are you still humming
Royals?
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