Memories of the Kestrel float to the surface. This editorial is published in the April 2016 issue of Metro, on sale in Auckland 17 March. Wayne from Waitakere City is advertising a painting for sale on Trade Me. It’s the second time he’s listed it. He only wants 80 bucks for it, but two days before the auction closes, there are still no bids. The painting, a 1979 watercolour by artist Lucille Cranwell, is a whimsical depiction of the Kestrel, the creaky old bird who has since fallen off her perch at Wynyard Wharf. Why would anyone want to buy a painting of this relic? And why should we care about her sinking? The Kestrel, built on the site of the Tepid Baths from heart kauri and totara, was launched in 1905. Back then, the Waitemata was famous for its wooden boats, and for its boat builders. The harbour would have been filled with sails and funnels and people going about their boating business, the city’s liquid heart as central to people’s lives as its boats. It remains one of Auckland’s unique pleasures. Purpose-built to service the commuter route from Devonport to the city, the Kestrel also did the ...
The post Our liquid heart appeared first on Metro Magazine.