I love the scrappy charm of Holloway Road in Aro Valley, Wellington. It has a long history – it’s one of the earliest settled streets of Wellington and it was a working class enclave from it’s beginning. The people with money settled in Karori and Thorndon, the workers settled in Holloway Road. I always try to make time for a walk along Holloway when I go to Wellington – I like to look at the ramshackle gardens and falling-down houses and then there is a gorgeous nature reserve at the end of the road, for that weird feeling of being in the wilds in the centre of the city.
Last time I went, I found a few dahlias. The hot pink one was retina-searing bright, I spotted it from miles away.
The trees lean towards each other in the nature reserve, creating a natural archway. It’s very welcoming, like they are pulling you away from the concrete and back to the dirt.
