Memories of the masts

Many readers were sad to see the largest Radio New Zealand transmission mast removed from Titahi Bay on Tuesday.

Several related personal stories on social media.

Sian Mercer said she grew up in Plimmerton and could always see the masts.

‘‘Watching it coming down actually made me emotional. [It’s] so strange that you can have such a connection to something that meant very little. I now understand why people feel so strongly about the destruction of symbols like the flag,’’ she said.

Richard Prankerd recalled the mast being hit by lightning in the late 1960s and how the bang probably woke up the entire bay.

‘‘Melbourne Mike’’ said a familiar sight for many Wellingtonians had now been erased from the skyline.

‘‘When I was a child I used to think it was the Eiffel Tower. May she rust in peace,’’ he said.

‘‘JohnH68’’ said he was sad to see the mast go.

‘‘I was always fond of the tower and remember looking at it as a lad and being amazed at its height,’’ he said.

‘‘I’ve never thought of the masts as being an eyesore as their structure was so ‘slight’. I got to work briefly in the transmission building back in the 1990s – a great place full of fascinating historic broadcasting-related bits and pieces going back to the 1930s, including amassive AWA shortwave transmitter installed duringWWII.’’

Titahi Bay resident ‘‘Zero123’’ was sad to see the mast come down.

‘‘Every time I drive home from Wellington or up north I always looked for the flashing light on top of the mast to see how far from home I was. [It] won’t be the same.’’