Porirua remembers 1993 town centre
There’s been some pretty serious demolition work in Porirua’s central city lately with both the i-SITE and Lyttelton Ave toilet block bowled.
The next phase of the city’s $7 million CBD upgrade has begun, but in 1993, two years before the canopies went up, things looked very different in the city centre.
It might be 22 years ago now but Porirua people have long memories which they were happy to share on the Kapi-Mana Facebook page.
Rochelle Dalziel remembered the Plantwood garden centre although it wasn’t greenery she recalled.
‘‘[I was] very entertained by the (fake) parrot in the cage that would drop eggs if you put in, I guess what would have been 50c.
‘‘Inside the egg was a gimmicky plastic toy, but the parrot was fun to interact with.’’
Andrew Snell said he could remember the New World supermarket and the ice cream shop that was in the Toy Warehouse.
‘‘[I] remember going in to Dick Smith’s to gaze at all the cool gadgets, using the book exchange to swap commando comics, [and] the original McD’s.’’
Pete Godden and Rozz McCalman both said they worked at the New World supermarket which was replaced by the Toy Warehouse.
It was long before the days of the iPhone and Kylie Joseph said her first ever cellphone was purchased at Dick Smith’s in the CBD.
‘‘It was a little green Alcatel and had an orange flashing light. I loved that brick of a phone.’’
Sandy Blakemore said the Blue Heron Pub was a favourite place to hang out in later years.
‘‘Many a great night was had there... if those walls could talk.’’
The Cobb & Co restaurant was what Jimmy Barnes said he missed most from 1993, while Rochelle Dalziel lamented the loss of the pet store.
Lisa Gray remembered the square red and cream tiles on the floor of the Prestons butchery.
‘‘I used to love jumping on them in the shop and drive my Ma crazy ... and hoping she would buy one of those super big boxes of ice cream they had in the freezers lol... I don’t think she ever did.’’