'Shop Local' campaigns are not just a modern thing! Long before the internet made your computer a virtual department store, the motor car was quite literally driving people away from the local Main Street and into the big cities. Small cinemas often carried ads for local shops and in this Ashhurst example, a slide screened before these ads had a general 'shop local' message.

Who paid for this slide? The local business owners? The cinema manager- who got commission on every cinema advertising slide bought? Or was it a local business association who convinced the cinema manager to make a 'free slide' for the good of the town? We may never know. But we do know that by the 1970s many local cinemas had closed down as a night out became a night out of town. Many Horowhenua towns did not escape this trend.

By tourchlight and flash - it was much darker than this!

With tourches at the ready, abot to enter the first tunnel.

Left to Right: Connor Dewar, Joann Ransom, Liam Dewar.

Some of the bridges did not have walkways or handrails - and we were instructed to walk between the tracks.

Connor Dewar with a glimpse of the first tunnel up ahead.

Left to Right: Joann Ransom, Liam Dewar

Walkers met at the Ashhurst Domain - where the official tent was.

At the beginning of the walk, looking across the Manawatu River to the highway opposite.

The road traffic bridge crossing the Manawatu River was visible from the gorge walking track.

At the Ashhurst Domain buses were waiting to take the 1,200 walkers to the start of the walk - through the Manawatu Gorge by the crushed lime works.

Some of the rail bridges had walkways and handrails.

On the hills above the walkers, the wind turbines moved slowly.

Left to Right: Connor Dewar, Joann Ransom, Liam Dewar

near the entrance to the second tunnel - this track lead to ... nowhere!

This wee side bridge led to ... no where!

The gorge is widening out.

Connor Dewar on the final leg of the walk.

Liam Dewar striding it out - wheredid he find the energy!

The view looking back up the Manawatu Gorge - wind turbines included - to where we had come from.

From front to rear: unknown, Liam Dewar, Connor Dewar, Joann Ransom.

Looking at the road through the Gorge

The road through the gorge looking downstream.

The boys declared that this was a fairy grotto - not so sure myself!

Left to right: Joann Ransom and Liam Dewar

And this was the view on the right of the bridge - no water to be seen but we could imaging how quickly that could change.

This was the view of the Manawatu River below on the left of the bridge.