Wellington, New Zealand

January 16, 2023

In the eighties we lived in Aro Valley, an inner city suburb of Wellington with a decidedly old feel. We decided to walk up from the city and check out our old home and neighborhood.

The thing about Wellington, it is hard to avoid walking up hills. Our home on Maarama Crescent was no different and we both remembered these particular steps that we would have climb at the end of each work day.

It wasn’t the most luxurious neighborhoods back then and it has gentrified somewhat since then. Our home was a two bedroom flat on the bottom floor of a house that stood below the street on a hill that sloped down into Aro Valley. It had received a coat of paint but, apart from that, looked even shabbier than when we lived there. This was our entrance. There were a few less empty beer bottles in our time.

This is the front. It was a nice sunny little flat with a balcony and a view over the valley. The towel is hanging from the window of what was our bedroom. We hasten to add that the lawn was also mowed in our time.

From exploring our old home, we headed down to the shops at the bottom of the hill. The walk down was a lot easier.

In many ways, the Aro Valley shops have not changed since we lived there. There is still a fruit and vegetable store, fish and chip shop and cafe. There is even a video rental store.

From the shops, we could see our old home up on the hill.

From Aro Valley we headed over to Mount Victoria. One of Wellington’s most sought over suburbs, it sits in the sun all day and has incredible views over the city. It also happens to be the suburb where Mal’s parents rented their first place together back in the late forties and early fifties. They had the bottom floor. Here is their home on Shannon Street now.