Monthly Archives: November 2013

Queens Parade Walkway Reparation Work, Devonport

Work commenced in September 2013 on repairing the railings and stanchions along the Queens Parade waterfront in Devonport.  The works were authorised by the Auckland Council as part of the Devonport Transformation Plan.  This is a beautiful area; it is treasured by the locals and visited by many overseas tourists as they stroll from the Devonport Wharf along to the Devonport Naval Base.

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Queens Parade walkway before work commenced.

This area of coastline is very exposed to large amounts of sea spray from the ferries coming in and out of the terminal. The cast iron stanchions consequently had become very rusty, and the iron railings had completely corroded in some places creating safety and aesthetic issues.

Rusty rails were creating a safety hazard.

Rusty rails were creating a safety hazard.

The repair job involved removing all previous coatings from the stanchions.  Rust coating treatment was applied followed by coats of a special rubber coating.  The railings were replaced with 25 micron aluminium.  This is a long lasting material which does not attract any rust.

 

Iron railings were replaced with aluminium railings.

Iron railings were replaced with aluminium railings.

The buttress walls were cleaned and water blasted removing all rust.

Buttress walls showing the cleaned rust area.

Buttress walls showing the cleaned rust area.

With ongoing maintenance, the stanchions and railings will continue to create a smart and tidy, authentic heritage look for Queens Parade in Devonport.

 

Edible Gardens in Croatia

A recent trip to the Island of Korcula, in Croatia (where Dave’s family originated from), not only revealed extensive use of stone, but how well stones are a great mix with vegetables.  As a stonemason, this place is a very interesting place!

 

Fruit and Vegetable garden in Croatia retained by a stone wall.

Fruit and Vegetable garden in Croatia retained by a stone wall.

Stones do not rot, nor do they leach nasty chemicals into the soil; instead they are a hardy permanent material.  Some plants that prefer a good source of heat to grow in, i.e. tomatoes, capsicums or eggplant, thrive particularly well in stoney soil, or planted with larger stones near their roots.

Croatian cabbage in really stoney soil.

Croatian cabbage in really stoney soil.

The Croatian people are particularly resourceful.  Over the thousands of years the island have been inhabited, they have removed stones from the soil, stacked it along walls and used the cleared areas for growing fruit and vegetables.  To ensure the cultivated areas were not stomped down by frequent walking, they would walk their donkeys along the stone walls.

Stones are piled into walls.to create growing areas.

Stones are piled into walls.to create growing areas.

What was also of particular note, is that most people grew vegetables in their front garden.  They would have plots of land further away from the house as well for cultivation of larger crops, i.e. grapes for wine making or olives for olive oil.  Planting food crops in available spaces close to one’s house certainly makes a lot of sense – it makes life so much easier.

 

Edible gardens are often

Edible gardens are often planted in prominent places.

If you are wanting to create vegetable gardens that are raised and require some sort of retaining work around them, or if you want your edible garden to look more aesthetically pleasing, try using stone, it always looks very natural and it has some wonderful properties.   You might even consider placing your edible garden in a more convenient, and even if it means placing it in the front garden or near your entertainment areas, it can still look great!