To Palmy and Back

We had a list as long as our arms of things to do in Palmerston North yesterday.  In fact, our first appointment was so bright and early that we had to set the alarm clock to make sure we got away on time.  That brought back memories of those years and years of being workers, with the alarm going off at 5.30am, and us heading away at a little after 6.00am.  We certainly don’t miss those days at all!  We departed at a much more civilised time of 8.00am, with the temperature hovering at a chilly 4 degrees.  It may be mid winter, but the sun was shining brightly, and the temperatures went up nicely as the day progressed.

Our first appointment took us just around the corner from the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, this elegant creamy white building looking absolutely stunning in the sunshine.   It was opened in 1925 as St Patrick's Church and was rededicated to the Holy Spirit as the cathedral when the diocese was established in 1980. In 1988 the cathedral was renovated, added to and reordered. The building was designed by the notable architect Frederick de Jersey Clere, and was designated a Category 1 historic place by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust in 1990.

Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, glowing in the morning sunshine

With a bit of shopping crossed off our list, we were a little early for a late morning appointment at the hospital, so relaxed in the upstairs cafe with a coffee and date scone each.  But what’s that I spied out the window?  The cathedral spire is certainly a landmark in the flat city of Palmy.

Cathedral spire is visible for miles

With the hospital appointment done and dusted, lunch was the next thing on the agenda.  And that was a bit of a run around, I must say.  The plan was to use a birthday voucher from a posh restaurant, a gift from daughter Nicky.  But no, being Monday, this place was not open for business.  Plan B was to have a nice Chinese smorgasbord lunch at Chinatown.  Yes, they were open, but being Monday, the smorgasbord was not on offer.  However, Chinatown was packed with Chinese people, all enjoying their a la carte lunches, so that’s certainly a good sign for future visits.  So we went with Plan C, and had lunch at Subway.  At least it was a healthy option, and we still have our lunch voucher to use another day.

Palmerston North Square

After lunch, we crossed a few more items off our list, and headed back home.  Travelling along Newth Road we came across a well digging operation on a roadside paddock.  Water was  bubbling up all over the place so we stopped to have a look.  Sadly, with all the H&S protocols in place, I couldn’t really get too close to get a good photo of the water escaping, but a young lady engineer came to chat to me.  (Or perhaps she was making sure that I wasn’t an industrial spy from another company).  Anyway, she told me that the water had been found, and they were just about to cap the well.  How interesting – digging for wells is not something you come across very often. 

Drilling for water

After out big day out on Palmy, we were pleased to finally get back home, take our shoes off, and have a cuppa.  Most items got crossed off our “to-do list”, the rest will have to wait for another trip.