WILD WEST ..VIEW

I normally think that daylight saving is a crock of shit. Why can't the hours in the day stay the same and we can all just get used to it. Tonight though I was glad of getting home when it was still light and so I went for a long walk as part of my fitness regime. To be honest though I thought that I'd go for a short walk and build up to longer ones later. I set off from home at about 5.30 and went along West View Road to find the walking track that goes down past the zoo to Western Springs. Now Western Springs is a phenomenal place. It is like a flat version of Wellington's Botanical Gardens with lakes and ponds and streams and of course springs. There are also weirs, aka ( by Robert) 'wheres'. The amazing thing about this area is that even though it is well known for its concerts, speedway, sportsgrounds and MOTAT (Museum of Transport and Technology) as well as the zoological gardens, it seems never to be crowded even on good days. There are lots of little 'dingly-dell' hidden gardens and private spots along with the play centres and larger lawned areas - all bordered by the aforementioned lakes, ponds and streams. There are lots of swans, geese, pukekos, ducks, epees (some sort of little water bird whose name I don't know but they say "Epee!").
I walked around the reserve intending to return to the path at the back of the zoo to take me back home. When I was almost there I remembered that there was another path that goes up the hill behind the Western Springs arena. I went in through the football grounds gate and made my way through the trees and up the hill the top of which looks down on the playing fields, the speedway and the place where I last saw the Rolling Stones play. There was also a great big fence with barbed wire at the top. I walked along the perimeter, up and down dips and gullies and did a bit of bush bashing. The fence was about 12 foot high in parts and I could see houses on the other side. I made my way back along the way I came, to a point North-West towards where I knew the path I had originally come down was. I came across a fallen tree that I was able to climb onto making the top of the fence accessible. I was about to haul myself up when I noticed something different. The fence line to the East had houses and streets beyond it. The supports that held the barbed wire were curved backwards over the other side of the fence to stop people gaining access to the arena area free.

The one I was reaching for had the supports curving inwards towards me. The barbed wire at the top was to stop people climbing out of the arena area.


 I calculated where the zoo started and the park ended and concluded that over this wall was the zoo. In my head I saw a news headline and story:

SILLY OLD MAN CLIMBS INTO WILDLIFE ENCLOSURE

Just before he was torn to pieces by the lions he was heard to call out "Hey, leave me alone. I'm a Leo"

I sensibly got back down on the ground and made my way East and down. I had to cross the park to get back to the reserve , around the lake again before finding my path. My half hour walk, with the short-cut, took about an hour and a half. When I got home dishevelled and sweaty the Old Girl was home from work. She asked where I'd been and I sheepishly said 'lost".