Old Mangapehi Railway Station

In 2020, I took this shot of a forgotten railway station in Waikato.

Mangapehi (or Mangapeehi) was a flag station on the North Island Main Trunk line, in the Waitomo District of New Zealand. It was 5.89 km (3.66 mi) north of Poro-O-Tarao and 5.15 km (3.20 mi) south of Kopaki.

Ellis & Burnand had a sawmill at Mangapehi from 1901 until 1968.

In 1950 the station was moved almost a kilometer north, away from the sawmill, at a cost of £13,405. In that year it had 23,636 passengers, 4 staff and railed 148,093 board feet (349.46 m³) of timber and 28,633 sheep and pigs, earning £3,256 from passengers and £85,473 from freight. https://kids.kiddle.co/Mangapehi_railway_station

As I looked for its history, I found that, sadly, it had been taken down on 2022.

You can read about that by clicking here.

St Mary's Catholic Church

One of the many churches in Whanganui.

Much ado about a phone

 Today I got a new phone. Considering the first (and only) phone I ever had was at least 5 years old, it's a big step. I mean, it couldn't even read QR codes!

I really wasn't prepared for all the work I had to do just to get it running, but I understand the security that is needed out in the world for those 'just in case' situations. So, a nap was in order to get rid of my headache 😌

It's bigger than my old phone and feels like it's 'more important', if you know what I mean; but, that is lost on me, since I have all of 13 contacts--some of which are businesses like the pharmacy and doctor's office :)

But, anyway, I'm all set up for the next 5 years or so of texting (or calling if I have to) and, more importantly, amusing myself while waiting for appointments.

John Ballance

 Maybe some things are not meant to be...

 Twelve-year old Kia Kingi practises flax weaving beneath the pumpkin-headed statue of John Ballance during the 79-day occupation of Whanganui’s Moutoa Gardens (Pākaitore). The demonstrators believed Ballance – a former Whanganui MP and premier of New Zealand – had encouraged Māori land alienation.https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/35094/ballance-beheaded

 

  

A bronze statue of former New Zealand premier John Ballance has been unveiled in Wanganui, 14 years after its plaster-and-concrete predecessor was beheaded.  The new statue, unveiled by mayor Michael Laws, stands outside the offices of the Wanganui District Council.https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/52091/ballance-restored-in-wanganui

Wanganui's controversial John Ballance statue is undergoing major repairs after it was discovered every weld in the structure needs to be replaced.

The bronze statue, which cost Wanganui District Council $64,000, was removed for repairs in March after its foot went missing one night.

However, it was revealed at the council's community and environment committee meeting yesterday that the statue's problems were more than an absent foot.

"Every weld has had to be replaced, and the whole statue has had to be built from scratch."https://www.nzherald.co.nz/whanganui-chronicle/news/statue-in-total-rebuild/VZEIHYMMIL6QXKAWAKPT3TSNYE/