Playing Kiwi

We've been trying to mix up routine with new experiences to round out our Kiwi experience. Pretty much every day we go out for fresh bread and supplies, stop off at Four Bucks (new name, not mine, for Starbucks) for a read and a real java, wind down in the impressive public library around the corner or maybe hang out down at Westhaven yacht club for a while.




All of us are enjoying the availability (both proximity and extra time) of the "club" downstairs for daily work outs ... it has a huge wall of windows that casts an inviting light over the machines and lane pool ... and I'm a regular in the steam sauna too.




The pic of the building is taken from the park we visit most days ... the whole top floor is our apartment except for 2 small windows, the whole bottom floor showing is gym facilities. Notice our opened windows ... pretty much 24/7 for us ... no screens provided nor needed here ... very few bugs it seems.

Saturday night sports here is not hockey ... it is rugby and it is taken very seriously in Auckland. Apparently the Kiwis were knocked out of the world cup last year in the semis. Opening night for the pro league was Sat the 16th. Stadium is walking distance so we decided to go. The crowd was enthusiastic with a strange mix of ambivalence ... not fully out of mourning yet from last year's embarrassing loss I gathered. This is what happened at the match:



the Blues gained the ascendancy in the second half, adapting better than the Chiefs to the new rules and the demands of a fast-paced game. Their scrum was dominant and their forwards constantly made ground with raids around the fringes of rucks and mauls. When possession tipped in the Blues favor in the second half, its talented backline was able to take full advantage, eventually grabbing a bonus-point try.

Look at me speaking Kiwi sport talk now ... nice try!

BOSgone

Stubbed my Rangitoto

Rangitoto is an iconic landmark of Auckland as its distinctive symmetrical 260 metre high shield volcano cone is visible from much of the city. Much like the 'Sleeping Giant' in Thunder Bay, not much goes on there except as a destination for hikers seeking to escape the city.



The hike to the summit is not easy ... not because of the incline or the elevation, but more because of the heat and terrain. The island is made from volcanic rock whose dark shade of black serves to soak up the sun's rays and raise the temperature on the island by at least 5 degrees C. Hiking requires careful attention to the trail ahead as there is no chance of a cushioned landing if one should trip. More likely the feeling would be just one degree better than landing in molten lava.



We ended up having to rush back down the mountain to make sure we didn't miss the last ferry back ... for some reason images of me with Mr Frodo and Sam leaping from perch to perch while dodging hot lava as we descended down through the danger to land safely at the wharf with little time to spare. (Can you believe I once got kicked out of "Let's Pretend 101" at York U's faculty of Fine Arts!)

BOSgone

Park Lane Apartment - Auckland

We are settling into life in the city core ... home is 68 Greys Ave ... gentrified neighbourhood steeped in history me thinks ... nice pad with high ceilings and tons of windows ... overlooking Meyers park ... making daily trips for groceries, to the library, to the museum and up to the waterfront. Everything good in Auckland, we are told, is north ... the best exposure (sunny) is north; the waterfront is north; beaches are north; train station is north; ferries to the islands is north; supermarket, banks and fancy shops are north. Uphill and south to "K" road, we were warned, is "the wrong direction for anyone with a family" ... "over the precipe to the dark side" ... "wrong side of the tracks" ... etc.



Hearing this, I (of course) steeled my nerve and did my best to lose the Clark Griswald look I've been carrying ... immediately hiked up there to take a look ... found a more interesting and eclectic mix of shops, cafes, bars and business men doing lunch ... oh yeah can't forget the 2 ugly hookers, a strip joint and a shiny club with a rainbow flag. Remarkably, I escaped with my integrity in tact and my wallet unscathed. Imagine that ... travel advice sprinkled with fear mongering. ... enough to make you want to pull the curtains tight and turn on the Sky TV Dukes of Hazard reruns.

BOSgone

ps M+M sometimes turn off Disney channel and watch the creatures that creep out of their lairs nightly and "perform" below us in the park ... they are learning Kiwi gutter talk and 50 different ways to kill brain cells .... hmmmmmmmm

Over the top to Taupo

The last leg of our journey took us back over the Rimutaka mountain range,




back across Cooks Strait to the north island and up to Lake Taupo.



Got some great advice around the communal barby to visit Waiwera and Goat Island in the north once we get settled in Auckland. Speaking of which, Karen and I were greatly relieved to secure an apartment for the next four weeks as the motor home goes back today.

As much as I wish we had more time to camp out around the south island, we are all looking forward to the change of pace associated with staying in one place.



We "hired" a nice place in an old building (gentrified neighbourhood) with 2 bedrooms 2 baths and 12' ceilings ... right downtown Auckland... a chance to experience true "city" life and get M+M back on routine / catch up on school work etc.

BOSgone