Family connections are a big part of Panmure's appeal for Awhina Rawiri, daughter Alysha and grandson Kingston who live together, minutes away from the Waipuna Basin in Panmure. Auckland Museum educator Awhina tells Melanie Cooper her ties to the suburb.
Prior to the 1820s when Hone Heke decided to raid from the north, my people had a place on the Basin. The ancestral connections are on my dad's side - Ngati Paoa and Ngati Whanaunga. It's a long time ago but it's neat to know they lived here at some
time and now we're here.
We've lived in Panmure for seven years but we had family here before that. My sister is here and for the longest time my mum lived in Mt Wellington off the main highway. Three of my four kids live in Panmure.
I love the Basin, I love Waipuna. It's minutes from where we live and it's a real family place. You go out around the basin and you see Pacific Island and Maori families out there together, exercising together, getting fit with their kids and having fun. .
Just around the Basin you've got the Panmure pools. They're great for summer. We've had lots of end of season netball parties and birthday parties there on the grass. It's got a playground and a big hydroslide for the kids.
Every second Sunday there are $2 train rides on the little tracks beside the Basin and there's a little pond where people run their model boats. There's a nice little park, too, so there's lots for Kingston.
We take him to the local library, it's got a lovely kids' area. Nice bright colours and a little spot with step seats so you can sit and read to the kids. They have storytelling and activities every week.
On Sunday morning there's a little market in behind the library where you can buy your fruit and vege or get some tasty food. It's not the healthiest food - things like bacon and egg rolls - but it's good. It used to have boil-up but it's a bit smaller these days.
It's a real cultural mix in Panmure. There are a lot of Maori and Pakeha people that have lived here forever but these days there are also lots of Asian and Indian people moving into the area and you can see that in the types of shops. Two of our favourites are the Sushi Gallery and Master Chinese. Alysha swears Sushi Gallery has the best chicken katsu anywhere, and she's tried that dish all over Auckland. Our whole family has meals together at Master Chinese - we've had special occasions there and casual meals. The food's always good and the couple that run the place are really nice. They're about the same age as my children and with their own kids that are the same stage as my son's kids - so that's a neat relationship.
There have been some changes in Panmure more recently that aren't so good - they make me worry for the older people in our community. They shifted the supermarket to the next suburb and moved the post office away. These are the essential services for our older people and there was no consultation.
They risk changing the real face of Panmure. Panmure's "tangata whenua", all the people that have lived here their whole lives, will have to look at moving out if they can't get to what they need.
It's all right for people our age, we can get around, but I hope they aren't going to keep moving things out of the Panmure shops. There's really good public transport - the bus and the train - and we're really pretty centred where we live.
Awhina and Alysha's picks
Panmure Library, 7-13 Pilkington Rd, (09) 570 8629. Panmure has a "Wriggle and Rhyme" session on a Wednesday and storytime every Tuesday at 10.45am.
Master Chinese Restaurant & Takeaways, 150-154 Queens Rd, (09) 527 1366. My personal favourite is the fried rice but they make great sizzling dishes. Our whole family loves it.
Sushi Gallery, 4-6 Pilkington Rd (09) 574 6775. Really welcoming, warm and cosy and it's got the best chicken katsu in Auckland.
Lagoon Leisure and Fitness Centre, (aka the Panmure pools) 29 Lagoon Drive, (09) 570 9061. In summer we're there all the time. It's probably one of the best public pools because it's got all the space for picnics and get-togethers and the big park.
Panmure Basin, Off Waipuna Rd and Lagoon Drive. It's a beautiful area for walking and playing and it's full of history. It's actually the mouth of a volcano that erupted tens of thousands of years ago.
* From 11am-2pm today Maori cultural group Waikato Taniwharau o Tainui will share stories, dance and waiata inspired by the Waikato River. The event is part of Auckland Museum's weekly series River Lives: Stories from the World's Greatest Rivers.
