We had a wee competition to see what people had to say on the topic of 'Why I love Point Chevalier' and the winners are....
Living on the Point by Angela Lane
Saturday mornings, gum-booted parents arrive with green and white striped budding soccer and league players on fields still wet with winter dew. All are eager for the game to begin, and be won, by their team. The sound of clacking boots crossing the road, chattering voices, whistles blowing and cheers when a goal or try is scored can be heard from my kitchen. Tuesday evenings in summer on that same park, sees a mass of running feet, cones, flags and a multitude of paraphernalia and parents. Walker Park is alive.
Lunchtime. Up to Marty and Nicky’s at Fiesta for a coffee and Panini. No number needed. They know who we are and where we’ll be sitting. The walls adorned with art, Latino music softly playing and a garden full of babies, dogs and butterflies. Bliss.
The Corner Cafe does the job on my way to work. Fresh coffee. Mmmm. Little Hero’s (previously Organics) has all my herbal and organic needs. The live music, games of scrabble and couches are calling.
Movie night sees us at Karyn and Carmel’s at Sages for a curry, or Joy’s for noodles or Chiro and Mia’s at Cafe Latte for pasta after. We walk home after a few wines at Ragu’s or the Ambassador, bellies full and contented. Contented that we can walk home from Pt Chev’s “night-life” and feel safe doing so and maybe even meet friends walking in the opposite direction.
The arcade is a hive of activity and I love it. Rachel greets me at Hairforce. She chats to the ladies having the “usual” and tells us about her next travelling adventure. Into the two-dollar shop for birthday novelty items. I say “konichiwa” in my worst Japanese when ordering an array of sushi and pretend I’m mastering the art of handling chopsticks at the window-bench. My Trade Me parcel has arrived and I pick it up along with a greeting card at the Post Shop. Wait it’s Saturday. Grab a lotto ticket too across the way. Make an appointment with Kate to get a wax at Stark Beauty and pick up a cooked chicken and bottle of wine from Countdown for dinner. I’m late home as I get caught up chatting with friends in at least three different aisles. Never mind. It’s good to see them again and chat about how our respective children are doing. Once we used to talk about school and sport. Now it’s University and part-time jobs they’ve taken on.
I pick up the novel I’ve reserved across the cobbled square. Padmina at the Library runs the show so well there. All ages visit here and welcome this book sanctuary, respecting its quietness.
But these are just a few of my favourite haunts. My Mecca and the reason I’ve lived here for so many years is the coastline. Strolling along the beach (newly-sanded now), toes in the sand with the only sound being the seagulls crying out to each other and the lap-lapping of water over my feet, I’m drawn here. It clears my head and relaxes me after a particularly hard day at work. I feel refreshed every time I set eyes upon the waters changing surface. Some days it’s turbulent and other times glassy-still. The only people out on this day are the lone octogenarian-swimmer braving winter waters, a kayaker paddling slowly across the Point or the kite-surfers cutting through the waves, almost taking flight.
This is my Pt Chevalier. It welcomes me to walk along its sandy shoreline all year round. It invites me into its warm waters in the summer and beckons me to lie with a book under one of its many pohutukawa trees. Young families have moved in as our wonderful, elderly folk leave this earth. They take up the same activities that other families before them have participated in within our small community. Those families have all grown up and some move on while many stay. The small school I once taught at in Te Ra Road has growing impressively like those pohutukawa trees planted as saplings along Pt Chev Road when I first moved into the neighbourhood. Now I’ve lived here for over 23 years and I wouldn’t live anywhere else. Pt Chevalier is home.
I Heart Point Chev, by Jennifer Gibbs. (Haiku)
Wide streets to wide sea
Everyone loves it here
Even tornados
Pt Chev my home, by Jade Hunter
Pt Chev a happy place where people live.
The brilliant sea air fills the beach,
the pohutakawa trees amongst the clouds,
in the sand, people play with their kids and laugh all day.
At the Pt Chev school, kids play and learn happily,
Waiting for the bell to ring, They grab their bags
and out they go onto the streets straight back home,
all so happy to be in this small little place
Pt Chev - a brilliant place.
Jordan Smith, 8, St Francis School
In the morning when dawn cracks through......
this is what living in Point Chev is all about,
looking straight ahead, you can see
the Sky Tower as bright as can be.
In the morning when dawn cracks through.......
this is what living in Point Chev is all about,
the beach with sand as soft as feathers
with water cold but refreshing.
In the morning when dawn cracks through......
this is what living in Point Chev is all about,
the park where you can feed the ducks
and ride around on bikes/scooters and skateboards.......
Now that is what living in Point Chev is all about, do you want to join us?
Honourable Mention
Pt Chevalier by Oscar Harding, 5, Point Chevalier Primary
Pt Chev is very neat because Pt Chev school is fun. I like going on the flying fox in my school playground and I like to play in the humungous park across Walker Rd where we play games like tag and cricket. One day I went surf boarding. I didn't go very far. It was scary and I climbed on some rocks. I fell into the little deep pool by the boat ramp and I was bleeding a bit. But I was OK.The longboards were free for us to try, that was neat. I like my next door neighbours because I get to talk to them across the fence. I say hello. And school is just around two corners. I like my class. I love Pt Chev more than TV.