Could you please tell me what has happened to the monument which used to stand in the middle of the Royal Oak roundabout? Can I see it anywhere? Bob McNamara, Auckland.
The monument was erected in the early years of the 20th century as a memorial to Richard John Seddon. Little is known about its present whereabouts. Auckland Council's principal heritage adviser, George Farrant, believes that the memorial was dismantled in about 1947. Does anyone have more information about the memorial?
The small cul-de-sac subdivision of Northwood in Albany has all its streets named after universities from around the world, such as Brigham Young (presumably Salt Lake City, USA), Columbia, Syracuse, and Amherst. The adjacent area of Brookfield follows a similar pattern with Yale, Princeton and so on. One street in Northwood is named Darimouth and I can't find any reference to a university of that name on the internet. What I have found is various Dartmouth references, including that for the Dartmouth Naval College in the UK (hence a valid connection to a university). Can you determine if Darimouth is truly a university name or is it a misspelling of Dartmouth applied by an unknowing local council or signwriter.
Chris Jackson, Albany.
I think it's the latter, Chris. I feel a signwriter has crossed his eyes and dotted his T's, as it were. Perhaps the council could rectify the spelling and save further embarrassment to all concerned.
I visit many parks in the mornings taking my dog walking plus also exercise for myself. Many times I see gym classes and/or personal trainers taking groups of people in exercise etc. They usually have all their gear i.e. Swiss balls, ladders, ropes, mats, drink bottles etc around the area they are exercising in. I just wondered if gym and personal trainers who are obviously receiving income from these groups have to pay the council some sort of rental for use of the park? One particular park near our house had three different groups exercising there one morning recently, taking up the pavilion with their gear and also part of the footpath around the perimeter. Groups ranged from two to ten individuals. Denise Simpson, Ponsonby.
I rang the council parks department and they say that, for groups this size, there is no charge. The council accepts that there is a dichotomy between commercial enterprises, such as gyms, using community facilities in the execution of their business, and would prefer that such groups booked a space in the park. If, however, you wanted to organise a sports fixture for team events or something similar, you would need to book a suitable field with the council.