Sideswipe: August 7: Is this the worst footpath in Auckland?

When it rains this footpath looks more like a river running through Northcote. Photo / Supplied

"Here's the footpath myself and many primary school children walk along each morning in Northcote," writes a reader. "It floods at the merest hint of rain and is so broken it might as well be rubble. I've asked the council for a good year to look at repairing it but to no avail until this morning when I found this bridge over the lake which had formed."

Totally irrelevant safe zone sign

Safe zone misdemeanours a sign of the times on Karioitahi Beach near Waiuku. Photo / Supplied

A reader writes: "Often at Karioitahi Beach, the "safe zone" is the most dangerous place to be. As nobody really pays attention to it, the recently installed sign would be better placed under the sea ... so as not to spoil the view. The hang glider flew directly over me and my horse. The motorbike owner was loudly doing wheelies in the safe zone. Earlier, they drove their ute on to the beach at full speed, doing spin outs as I was walking my horse and dog off towards the right or north side of the sign. Thankfully I have a very chilled out horse or I would never ride there."

Text alert system non-responsive

Phil, who suggested NZ Post might want to create a text alert system for post box holders, telling them when there is mail to pick up (saving a wasted trip), was told there was an email alert available. When he tried to find out about it, he got this reply: "If this service is available at your Box Lobby, please complete an application form at the Box Lobby and hand this into the Box Lobby or Post Shop counter to be processed. This is only available at selected lobbies. Unfortunately this cannot be completed online through our website." Says Phil: "I have tried to contact the Sandringham Box Lobby to see if this service is available there, but I am sorry there was no answer."

A sign of council doing its job

In response to the St Heliers Beach sign that a reader thought superfluous, Annie writes: "My husband was swimming last summer and did not see the submerged reef, and was severely cut needing stitches at the local A&E. If this sign stops another serious injury I say a big thanks to the Auckland Council."