~ kotuku and history ~
Friday, April 09 we make a short outing from our lodging in Sinsuran to Jesselton Point wharf. It's just a short walk along the waterfront from the centre of Kota Kinabalu. Or you can take a local town bus instead. We returned to the central town that way. It's a hot one!
Mid-morning Ms.Noni and I head down to the esplanade stopping off for a bite to eat on the way. Then we take a noon stroll along the tourist esplanade, to the right, away from the Filipino and fish market. Like most tourists we encounter the huge swordfish statue on the traffic roundabout. There are also giant stone fish statues on the boardwalk nearby. Ms.Noni loves to frolic in public! It's really hot.
We take shelter on a park bench conveniently placed under the welcome shade of adolescent trees. This is the capital of Sabah and it's a place where nature's to the fore. I remember yesterday having seen a giant bird statue being 'frolicked on' in a street not far away! Looking over the harbor now I realize the bird signified. White herons frequent this part of coastal Sabah. The central fish market nearby must provide a easy ready made take aways!
They're definitely white herons! 'Kotuku' is the Maori word for these beautifully graceful birds. These days they're a famous icon of the west coast of New Zealand. Kotuku don't live there. Rather they arrive to mate and nest around November. No doubt some of these birds I'm seeing right now on the esplanade at Kota Kinabalu have made that flight south to Okarito, New Zealand!
To our right about one kilometre distant I can see the tip of Jesselton Point wharf. From the statued esplanade where we're sitting it's possible to walk along the waterfront. This waterfront's developing. Although it's not completed yet, this impressive new extension to the existing esplanade bears warning signs against entry. But it's easy to access.
And it looks like most of the structural construction work's completed so there's little risk involved. It's a favorite spot for local fishermen. Under it's protruding concrete buttresses live some apparently homeless folk. It's a place we increasingly frequented on our return from Kudat. I was pretty penniless though we weren't homeless! We just liked to hang out fishing away the afternoons. Today though, it's just the most direct and appealing way to walk from the esplanade to the wharf at Jesselton Point.
Jesselton Point wharf's been welcoming visitors for a long time. In former colonial times it was the main disembarkation wharf for Sabah. Today, some of that history's on display. Large reproduced photographs decorate the wall to our left at the entrance. One scene in the early 1900s shows cargo ships anchored nearby. Another shows it's state as a result of WW2 when the British destroyed most of the town's infrastructure before abandoning it. History on public show. And for free!
Today Jesselton Point welcomes all, including both British and Japanese tourists. They as well as local tourists, come here to catch ferryboats to the beautiful TAR National Park islands.