Middle NZ: Road crew like clockwork

Road crews working on a street makeover. Photo / NZME

Road crews working on our roads and footpaths often get a hard time.

Over the years I have heard many comments. Things such as "how many people in hi-vis jackets does it take to fill a hole in the road" or "why are five people leaning on their shovels watching one person dig a hole".

Most of us have no idea why they are doing what they are doing — we do know that they are working to a plan though, so they actually know what the end result will look like.

For the past month or so we have had a Higgins road crew in our street which is undergoing a makeover.

They started way down the end of the road and gradually made their way toward our house.

For the past week, they have been right outside the gate. When I got home from work on Monday there was not only a huge hole in the middle of the road but I couldn't quite see how to get into the driveway.

Linda Hall is assistant editor, Hawke's Bay Today.

It was raining and cold and nearly dark but the workers were still there. They told me I was clear to go in — which I did very carefully.

I actually hadn't expected them to turn up to work that morning because it was so wet.

But as the clock struck 7am I heard the digger start up and they were on the tools and working.

These workers have really impressed me. Every morning they are there at 7am and working soon after.

Twice recently they have been working right across the drive when we were ready to go to work.

As soon as they see us outside at the cars they signal to the digger or truck driver to move off so we can exit the driveway.

They always smile when I drive by them, they have directed me out of the driveway and yesterday one of them asked me if I knew when my neighbour would be home as she might have a tight turn into her driveway.

I said she was probably not far away and he decided to write her a note.

He also said to me "Hope you don't mind but we sat on your porch at lunchtime out of the rain."

I don't mind one bit.

I would have given them a heater had I been home and maybe made some scones — maybe — I'm not that flash at making scones.

Every day I can see progress and am looking forward to the end result.

I'll have to do a drive-by to see it though because we have recently sold our house and are on the move.

I thought selling was going to be really stressful but thanks to David and Jason at Property Brokers it wasn't too bad at all.

The hardest part was making sure the house was spotless every morning before work just in case someone wanted to have a look.

So in a few weeks, it's onto a new and exciting chapter in our lives. In the meantime, it's packing, packing, packing.

Mr Neat is trying to persuade me that I don't need all the vases I have collected over the years. What he doesn't know is that there are a couple more boxes of them in the wardrobe.

Linda Hall is assistant editor at Hawke's Bay Today