Concrete Blocks

form the wall underneath this mural on the side of a rather unexciting semi industrial building not far from where we stay.

The mural pictures many of the old kauri villas of the Grey Lynn area. Kauri is a hard wood tree which was extensively milled for timber in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The villa style house was common, and characteristically had a central front door into a passage though to the back of the house. One side (and occasionally both) might have a bay window, and there was usually a verandah across at least half of the front, and sometimes partway down one side. The kitchen, bathroom and service areas could often be added as a lean to at the back.

In the last 30 -40 years these houses have been very popular amongst young professionals who tend to restore and renovate (often modernising and changing the internal character markedly), and the value of the houses has risen substantially as the number available has gradually diminished.

The mural shows artistic licence in that the upper harbour is depicted much closer to the Grey Lynn ridge and in a slightly skewed direction than where it is actually seen.

Just before I photographed this near the end of this morning's run, I saw someone else with his camera pointed at the mural.

Again a slightly different interpretation of the subject of this week's challenge; however, I feel quite comfortable claiming it, because the concrete blocks can still be identified underneath the mural.

Additional: My adviser in all things important, S, has pointed out that I neglected to say that almost 40 years ago we bought a large old villa in another (nearby) inner city suburb, and stayed there for 30 years before leaving after all the children had left home.