Andy Smith from Walk Auckland originally suggested Beating the Bounds as a Transition Towns event involving Grey Lynn 2030 and Mt Eden Village People. He enthusiastically agreed to the Waitemata Local Board adopting the idea as a way of establishing a sense of place. Andy will be leading us on Saturday 9 April from Meola Reef Reserve.
Media Release from Auckland Council 6 April 2011
Waitemata to beat the boundary
The Waitemata Local Board, with support from Walk Auckland, is to revive an ancient Anglo- Saxon custom called ‘Beating the Bounds’ by walking the 12km boundary of the board area this Saturday, announced Deputy Chair Pippa Coom.
The ceremony, traditionally led by the parish priest who headed a crowd of boys beating the parish boundary markers with green boughs, is seen by the Waitemata Local Board as a modern take on an age-old custom.
“By ‘Beating the Bounds’ of Waitemata we hope to improve residents’ awareness of the local board area, but more importantly we aim to strengthen our community by giving us a sense of place,” says Pippa Coom.
“We have also invited local board members from the neighbouring areas of Albert-Eden and Orakei to ensure walkers do not encroach on the adjacent ‘parish’ as we journey along the shared boundaries.”
‘Beating the Bounds’ begins at 9am, Saturday 9 April, from Meola Reef Reserve at the western-most point of the board area and will continue around the boundary in an anti-clockwise direction. There will be four stops on route and the walk is expected to take approximately four hours.
Members of the public are invited to join local board members at any point along the route.
ENDS
The route: http://goo.gl/maps/rqho
More details of the walk on Facebook
More information about the origins of beating the bounds