登高

 
 
 

登高

自89年尾，我便知道此間有座十四米高的聖母像。

之後，有過無數日子，計起來也超過十年了，而我更是住在這裡附近；但很抱歉，我就是從來都不屑一顧，甚至曾多次到過那高度只得25公尺的山崗下，卻不知為何…我總沒想過踏足？

對我而言，不去一些我認為值得去的地方這是絕無僅有的事。然而在剛回紐初期，為使太太多認識這裡，我衝破心中窒礙，帶她去那些我曾不願再去的地方。是因這些所在實有太多崎嶇險路，雖則是風光無限，亦兼刺激而有之，但可要說句心底話，我已不復當年勇了，過半百的人那怕真是膽怯，到如今，仍有幾起認識的山路我還是不敢貿然驅車而行，其實也是怕承受不起！

臨近重九，對於那以前的不屑一顧，這刻，我忽然想起了數句歌詞……

路上我願給你輕輕扶

你會使我感到好驕傲

幸福快樂陪著你去找一生美好

那麼我們去登高罷！

The 14-metre tall hollow wooden structure.

童貞瑪利亞聖母像的小檔案：

In 1958 Fr Jack Dunn commissioned Dutch artist Martin Roestenberg (1909-1966) to make this statue to mark the 100th anniversary of the apparitions of the Virgin Mary to Bernadette Soubirous, a 14-year-old peasant in Lourdes.

Martin Roestenburg and his family were brought to New Zealand in 1951 by the Catholic Church to do the stained glass windows in churches throughout the country.

A short walking track from Tongariro Street leads to the statue on the hill top. Through the trees which shelter the base of the statue there are views of Paraparaumu and Kapiti Island.