Mary

Paraparaumu is a town a few kilometres south of Waikanae, probably just over 10 minutes’ drive. Pronunciation of the name is, like so many Maori words, a bit of a tongue-twister, so many people referring to it simply as ‘Param’ or even ‘Pram’, whilst the more purists may say ‘Parra-parra-oomoo’, I understand that it should be ‘Parra-puh-row-moo’. To those who are interested, Pram means ‘earth-oven’.

Whatever the pronunciation, Jeannette and I arrived there just after 3:00 yesterday, a really brilliant sunny winter’s day, to revisit a place which we’d visited with Bianca on 10 February 2011 (that’s the beauty of digital photography – your old photos are all date-stamped!)

It is located near the Param railway station, and a stone’s throw from the main road and shopping centres. As we passed the level crossing, I noted a police car and a policeman on the pavement nearby. The officer was in conversation with a female lady. She was either a potential suspect or an acquaintance. I would imagine the former, and the suspicion being related to the demon Bacchus. That is by the by, and not relevant to this story, except to illustrate that there was very little activity in the neighbourhood, very little traffic or pedestrians. I saw one bloke on a push-bike, and another in the distance walking what appeared to be some sort of Maltese Poodle. Very quiet.

We park at the entrance to the access lane to reach our destination, the Mary statue (Our Lady of Lourdes). This time I am prepared for the steep winding path to the top.

(Above and below): As we reach the start of the winding zig-zag pathway, we are greeted with a most pleasant surprise. In 2011 the path was rough, worn and uneven, with loose gravel and pebbles (as below), making the hand-rails essential. Today in 2014, there is a smooth tarmac surface underfoot, making progress simple and pleasant. Nice.

Clearly, the contractor had quite a job carting the tarmac premix up this steep slope and operating his compacting machinery at this awkward angle. Considering that there are tourists constantly visiting the site, it was certainly worth the effort, so full marks to the KCDC.

(Above): All along the path are crosses like this one, where Jeanette stops to catch her breath. With Roman numerals, this one reads ‘X  Jesus clothes are taken away’. The others read: ‘I – Jesus is condemned to death.‘; II – Jesus carries his cross‘, ‘III – Jesus falls for the first time‘, ‘IV – Jesus meets his mother‘, ‘V – Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry his cross‘, ‘VI – Veronica wipes the face of Jesus‘, ‘VII – Jesus falls for the second time‘, ‘VIII – Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem‘, ‘IX – Jesus falls for the third time‘ , ‘X-Jesus clothes are taken away’, ‘XI – Jesus is nailed on the cross’, ‘XII – Jesus dies on the cross’

(Above): For example, the mosaic on cross #2 – Jesus carries his cross. 

(Above): Jeanette places a small posy at the base of the Mary statue.

(Above): The Mary statue which is brilliantly lit at night.

(Above): The view of part of the town from between the trees and shrubbery: Zoom view of Kapiti Road traffic intersection with SH1 Main Road, looking towards the Rimu Street police station on the corner, the one and only police station I have seen in the area.

A thought occurs to me. Did I lock the car? A sinking feeling – my driver’s licence, all my credit cards, the works – they are all in the cubby-hole glove compartment! What about that shady-looking character? No, this is New Zealand, not Africa…

Isn’t it strange how old beliefs take a while to die? I am in two minds… My way of thinking has already shifted remarkably over the past seven and a half months, but it will probably take some time for my sixty-odd-year mindset to change completely. Time for a few more photos as I stroll around the grounds atop the hill, before setting off down the steep pathway.

(Above): Another view from the top overlooking the Coastlands shopping centre, with the well-known ‘Countdown’ and ‘Pak N Save’ stores as anchor tenants. On the horizons a few kilometres away, one can see the Tasman Sea off Param Beach.

A short while later we reach the car parked in the street below. The car had been locked all the time.