Pianist hurt at Esplande track
A narrow Palmerston North track likely to become more popular as a link from the Esplanade to the Manawatu¯ River could have cost a retired Massey academic his ability to play the piano.
Palmerston North man Al Rowland was out biking on the morning of February 4 when he decided to follow the path from the Esplanade Scenic Railway car park to the riverside pathway. He had been there before and had either wheeled his bike down beside the steps, or ridden down.
This time, he followed another cyclist, travelling a little faster than he normally would, when his front wheel hit either an exposed brick or a tree root.
‘‘I was airborne. My last recollection was: ‘This is going to hurt’.’’
He was knocked out for about 20 minutes and came around bloodied and broken, with an ambulance crew ready to take him to hospital.
The worst injuries were to his right hand, which was, in the words of the surgeon at Hutt Hospital, munted.
His biggest regret is that he won’t be playing the piano again any time soon. A classical pianist, enjoying two or three hours of playing each day in his retirement, he had been learning an intricate Bach piece.
He’s determined to get back to it. ‘‘I’m not going to let this beat me.’’ But not so the bike. He will settle for walking and going to the gym from now on.
City council chief infrastructure officer Tom Williams said there was money in the budget to upgrade the pathway in 2020-21.
Meantime, a gate would be installed at the car park so cyclists would have to get off their bikes and would be travelling slowly on the slope.