Down by the Heathcote at the Ernle Clark Reserve

No such soppiness as hearts, teddies and flowers with me. Nope, just more shots of nice water scenes, to go with the mini theme of the week.

Whilst we were waiting for the good folk of Red Elephant to sort out our thai takeaway (woah, pushing the valentine's boat out there, H) I decided to swing past the nearby Ernle Clark Reserve on the Heathcote river for today's blip.

It's a nice wee walk. Plenty of ducks and walkers, as well as a chance to gawp at the lovely Swan Lake spa and gardens off Ernlea terrace. I did consider wandering up the drive and ask if I could take a picture of their amazingly manicured gardens, but decided against it this time out. Maybe some other time when I have my full kit with me, just to look a bit more pro ;-)

The reserve is named after (Leonard) Ernle Clark (1906-1964), a local aviator who in 1936 was the second person to fly solo from the UK to New Zealand. After reading the plaque in the reserve, it's amazing this guy isn't a household name; the last leg across the Tasman took nearly 13 hours to Blenheim, where he then took off again and flew to Wigram airfield in Christchurch where he was met by a crowd of some 20,000.

A quote on the plaque sums up the bravery of the man - "The trip across Australia was monotonous and very bumpy, and I was glad to land at Mascot. The last few hundred miles before Sydney were unpleasant on account of the bad visibility caused by the bush fires. At times I had to fly blind, and at other times I had to fly low and read the names on the railway stations to get my position."