Touring with an engineer
By Paul Brooks
Karen Wrigglesworth's new book celebrates and explains 40 of Whanganui's engineering marvels with maps, photos and text. An engineer herself, Karen is renowned for her newspaper articles about local engineering works. The book, Take Me With You! A Self-Drive Guide to Whanganui's Engineering Heritage, features cover artwork by Karen's 15-year-old daughter, Freyja.
Karen styles herself as a technical storyteller. Her easy-to-read writing allows her to introduce the layperson to the Durie Hill Tower, the observatory, the velodrome, the Raurimu Spiral, and many other places.
"I started writing about engineering in 2007, starting with the wastewater treatment plant, because there was this cool engineering story coming to an end ... I could see there was a story that needed to be captured. "It was an interest in how things work and wanting to share with people that engineering is not complicated, it's part of our everyday life. I guess I'm drawn to stories that are hidden in plain sight."
The photos in the book are part of the story, showing the tactile and textural character of many of the engineering works. Karen took the pictures. She says she wants people to go to these things and see them anew.