The River

In tikanga Maori, a pepeha introduces the speaker by naming te maunga, te awa, te moana; the mountain, the river and the sea. These identify the place where you live, or where you come from.
When I think about my pepeha, I name two rivers: the mighty Waikato,where I live, and the River Thames,where I come from. Both rivers are magnificent, but their histories are very different.

From Blackfriars Bridge, the London skyline is stunning with a diverse array of old and new buildings. 

Looking west  you can see the London Eye and Big Ben

The Embankment beside the Thames is busy with people, and the river is busy with boats, large and small. 

  

It seems that every inch of the city is crammed with old and interesting buildings, memorials, and remnants of hundreds of years of history. The Thames is more than just a river; it is a character in a story that has been unfolding since the last ice age.
Some of the story- The Thames.

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens is a fantastic story with the River Thames   playing a supporting role.  

Great Expectations