Our Lady of Lourdes Statue

Paraparaumu's oddest claim to fame is surely this 14m-high statue of the Madonna, looming over the town from a 75m-high hill. It was commissioned by the local Catholic priest in 1958 for the 100th anniversary of the Lourdes apparitions. The good lady herself is in good nick, but she's reached by a scrappy path through a dishevelled part of town, and most of the 14 Stations of the Cross that line the route are losing their battle to stay vertical.