At the end of Marine Parade is a hodgepodge of boat sheds
By Jamie Melbourne-Hayward
At the end of Marine Parade is a hodgepodge of boat sheds, some well cared for and others slightly rundown. The tangle of corrugated iron and boating paraphernalia has been a mainstay of the Hutt Rivers mouth since the 1855 earthquake. For an area like Petone making more of the Hutt River?s mouth should be a priority says Councillor Ross Jamieson. He wants the boat sheds painted in bold colours like in Titahi Bay or the iconic ?La Boca? township in Buenos Aires, Argentina ? where houses are painted the colours of the rainbow. ?We should add a bit of colour to the area and make it a character place ? I?ve been advising that for years,? he says. The success of Petone reggae band Hikoikoi, who have jammed at the sheds for years, displays the growing importance of the area to Petone. The boat sheds rest on Council leased land, to be renewed in 2011. Mr Jamieson says a dilapidated shed recently sold for $16,000 on Trademe. Mr Jamieson has been lobbying the Council to do something about the area for a long-time, and says council are prepared to pay for paint if the shed owners take up the labour. He says there is also the ?real issue? of the St James Sea Scouts building in the same area, which is ?very underutilised?. ?You could make it quite a fantastic place by the River?s mouth. ?We want the estuary and the Hutt River to be more of a feature for the area,? says Mr Jamieson. One boat shed owner, a ships engineer who wished to remain anonymous, says he has noticed more people coming down to check out the boat sheds. ?There are always people coming around here, walking their dogs and checking the place out. ?I like to sit out here in the sun and drink a tea, for the half of the year I?m in Petone at least,? he says.
