Martinborough memories

An essay written by a Sacred Heart College New Plymouth student at a creative writing course. Many people will recognize ‘granny and Poppa’

A perfect square, leading to any destination I could choose, the centre and focal point of the town. I was in the middle deciding which path I would take. A pedestrian crossing on each side of the square could take me anywhere I wanted to go. Four paths lead from here to the centre of the square, connected by a circle of bright pink and orange flowers that were in full bloom and this was my destination.

Even though it was a summer’s day I had goose bumps appearing on my arms. The vibrant green trees covering the square were blocking out the sun, but the breeze was refreshing compared to the usual exhausting heat. It was an ideal place to sit down at the tables with my family and share a picnic of delightful morsels or just good old fish and chips.

Although Martinborough is not buzzing with an abundance of people, the small number of locals bring the town to life, just as the trees bring life to the square. Every face is familiar and a warming smile from a passer-by is the norm. Gumboots, jandals or bare feet seem to be the everyday footwear and if you’re seen wearing heels you can tell you’re from out of town.

I know every building surrounding the square, from the BNZ bank that my granny works in to the old restaurant and bar that my granny and poppa used to own. All of these buildings seem to link to me; either my family worked in them or I know someone who does. Although the BNZ may not seem like a very special place as it can be found in most other cities or towns in New Zealand, it holds so many memories for me. I have spent hours in here with my granny, sitting behind the desk pretending to be the bank teller or playing with the doll’s house that was in the kid’s play area. I know all the ladies that work there and every customer that would come in also seem to know who I am.

This is my home town and the square seems to hold many of my childhood memories: at the age of six sitting at the picnic table with the smell of hot chips lingering in the air; squished between my poppa and my younger cousin as we waited for my granny to start her lunch break; sitting impatiently in my seat, listening to the birds in the trees as the wind blew my hair into my face and my fingers itched to dig into my lunch. Even though it may not seem like much to someone else, the square was special to me and I loved everything about it because of the peaceful atmosphere and the memories.

Walking down one of the paths and across a zebra crossing leads me to the playground. I would spend hours upon hours playing here when I was younger. This place holds many fond memories filled with laughter and happiness. The playground was always a fun place to go and I would love playing on the swings as they made me feel like I was soaring through the air without a care in the world. The roundabout was another one of my favourites, sprinting around and around until it was finally spinning fast enough for me to jump on. Everything looked like a blur and all I could feel was the wind blowing against my face as I got more dizzy with every spin until it finally stopped and I jumped off unable to walk in a straight line.

A park does not belong in the middle of town, but this is why it is so unique as it truly brings life to the small town of Martinborough. Although it may not seem like much to the weekend tourist that may be passing by, just an average park in their view. If they paused for a minute to take in the beautiful setting of this park, sat down at one of the picnic tables and admired the town whilst listening to the abundant birdlife in the trees they would realize that this town holds a lot more beauty than first meets the eye.

Emily Goodley