Once, eels were here

Largely staying at home today, although we did visit daughter C and Mr H briefly. Checked out what the DHB wants of me. Although advice has been that older persons should stay away from work as we are more susceptible to being very sick if we become infected by CoVid-19, the DHB does need us older doctors to maintain services. We agreed that I will work from home on Fridays (there are enough Medical Director tasks to keep me busy), and I will continue to work in Te Whetu Tawera.

This afternoon I took a walk to Western Park, the oldest municipal park in Auckland, through the park and back to the apartment. The stream that once ran through this area, which in recent years gets to be no more than like a very small wetland area in wet weather, was known by Maori as Tuna mau, which means Stream of eels.

The planting of native shrubs and trees here was deliberately in an area where introduced species had either not been planted or had failed. That the cabbage trees, and ponga (tree ferns) have mostly done very well and have fostered the growth of a young Rimu tree slightly up the bank (in the distant background of my photo), shows that this is going to be a successful reintroduction of native bush into the nearly centra city.

On the way back I was surprised by the crowd in a bar offering a three hour happy hour. Not responding to the currently voluntary limits on numbers of people in a gathering and the closeness of those who are there. 

Other countries are struggling with more than we have to manage. The numbers are still growing but only two have not had known overseas travel or contact with such a traveller. Even so those two may be the first indication that the virus is now in the wider community. Everyone hopes not.

I hope that everyone is managing their own particular restrictions, and that none of us gets infected.