With rock concerts, rugby games and café catch ups once again part of everyday life, a new book featuring images from across Kaipātiki is a stark reminder of life during lockdown.
Kaipātiki Alone Together is an initiative by the Birkenhead and the Beach Haven and Birkdale residents’ associations, who invited locals to upload images to a website and Facebook taking during the first lockdown in 2020.
“We started this as a way to create and celebrate a sense of community during unprecedented times and to capture a snapshot of life under lockdown for future generations,” says Chair of the Birkenhead Residents Association, Gillian Taylor.
“We were really inspired by people’s creativity which showed that spirit and resilience with images depicting the Bear Hunt, pavement art and new ways to celebrate Easter and Anzac Day.
“There are other great photos people captured at home, through their windows and on their neighbourhood walks as well as the almost desolate scenes of roads empty of traffic or shoppers,” she says.
The images can still be viewed and uploaded online people can still continue to do that.
A grant from Kaipātiki Local Board has enabled commemorative books to be printed and these can now be viewed at Northcote, Birkenhead and Glenfield libraries and the local board office.
“Kaipātiki Local Board is proud to have supported the publication of this book to commemorate a unique, difficult and strange time in our history," says chair John Gillon.
“This book puts a local lens on lockdown, and we'd like to thank the resident associations and the community for memorialising this time for us all.
Take a look back in time
You can view the images at kaipatikialonetogether.nz or on Facebook.
