Microblog

Decided to take it easy today with a little walk to the park and beach at the end of the peninsula where we’re staying. Along the way, “little libraries” offered free books. For many years now, we’ve built an ebook library we can carry with us everywhere. Right now, Dwight is reading a novel downloaded from Amazon, while I’ve checked out my novel online from the Hennepin County Library back home.

On a ferry ride the other day we were staring at the coastline to the east of downtown Auckland and realized we had never visited it. Today we took a bus along the coast then walked back towards downtown, including various beaches, Mission Bay, and a city park named after New Zealand’s first Labour prime minister. Here, towards the end of our walk, we’ve cut through a Māori community to be presented with this view of our destination.

Spent the day at MOTAT, Auckland’s transport and technology museum. This Meccano (Erector set) differential analyzer, built at the University of Manchester in 1934, is an analog computer that solves differential equations. I still have my childhood Meccano (and my dad’s from his childhood), but not enough to replicate this. I’ve considered building a LEGO version, but suspect gear backlash would defeat me.

​We scoured the map for a place we had yet to visit, somewhere reachable by ferry that offered a scenic walk and a good lunch. When Dwight spotted a restaurant called Hello Sailor, our trip to Half Moon Bay was settled. We took a bus toward the end of a peninsula, then walked along the coastline to the bay for a fresh fish lunch at the restaurant, which sits directly opposite this enormous marina. Afterward, a ferry carried us back to Auckland.

Walked across New Zealand from coast to coast today. It was at a narrow point: starting at Auckland Harbor and heading southeast to a harbor on the other side. ​I took these photos from Maungawhau / Mount Eden, the highest point in the city. The top photo looks back toward where we started this morning, while the bottom photo looks ahead toward this afternoon’s hike. Along the way, we wound through several parks, past Aucklanders out enjoying their Sunday.

Joined a docent-led art walk from the Auckland Art Gallery through downtown to the harbor. Since the group was all locals, we dove straight into the deep end. Our docent expertly connected several public installations by Māori artists to foundational myths and the origins of Aotearoa (New Zealand). (The audio receivers shown in the photo let us hear the commentary clearly over the bustle of the city.)

Attended a wonderful session at the Auckland War Memorial Museum featuring seven Māori, a model for how to educate people about an indigenous culture. Later, we took an audio tour of about a dozen artifacts scattered throughout the museum, each with a queer story to tell. Here, I’m learning about Labour Party representative Louisa Wall, who was wearing this dress when the Marriage Amendment Bill was passed in 2013.

​Caught some stand-up comedy as part of Auckland’s Pride Month. The venue was wonderful: the Aviation Hall at the Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT). Our backdrop for the night was a 1945 Belfast-built flying boat, once used by the Royal New Zealand Air Force for maritime search and rescue.

The greater Auckland area is full of peninsulas, sometimes featuring scenic trails, a ferry port, and great lunch spots. Today was one of those days. We took a fast bus to the start of the trail at Takapuna then walked to Devonport through parks and residential areas. After a late lunch in Devonport, we caught the ferry back to Auckland. In this photo, we’re crossing a mangrove swamp.

Today’s adventure was the Auckland Botanical Gardens, with the added bonus of taking the train to get there. While I found it a lovely place for a stroll, Dwight was taking it in on a deeper level. He spotted several plants he recognized from the university greenhouse back home. Here, he’s fully immersed in the native plantings along a trail designed to teach visitors how to identify the local flora.

We’ve been in Auckland for ten days, and we finally walked onto the beach directly in front of our rental. Normally the tide has been in when we wanted to go exploring. Today we stuck to our Point Chevalier neighborhood rather than exploring further. Wandering along the peninsula, we found sandy stretches, parks, a great view of downtown, and yet another decent hole-in-the-wall cafe.

Ferry to Waiheke Island, followed by a coastal trek: steep up, steep down, repeat. Revived by a fine mid-afternoon lunch of grilled fish overlooking the water. Waiheke’s own Passage Rock Pinot Gris made the revival complete.

Our urban walk took us to a different community center today, where we stocked up on veggies at the Sunday farmers market. A truck served a decent flat white and a long black, which we sipped while nibbling those tiny bananas you only find near where they’re grown. At lunch, the cafe seemed to be attracting characters straight out of British sitcom archives: namely, Mrs. Slocombe (Are You Being Served?) and Violet (Vicious).

A goal of our month in Auckland is to live like the locals do. Today, we walked a large loop that took us past a lively community center. In one room, there was a flower show; in another, a cake social. A cake social! ​We opted for a long black and a flat white served from a coffee truck. Later, at our neighborhood French cafe, the server asked if we had moved into the area. Their food is so good, we keep going back.

We didn’t need to line up for the ferry from Hobsonville back to Auckland. Earlier today, we’d traveled to Hobsonville by city bus and, after a delicious lunch, hiked the trail that circles the town. William Hobson, the town’s namesake, was the first governor of New Zealand and a co-author of the Treaty of Waitangi, which he and several Māori chiefs signed on February 6, 1840. Today is Waitangi Day, a public holiday.

A massive cruise ship dwarfed the Island Direct Waiheke Island ferry. With 5,000 passengers suddenly in town for the day and a long holiday weekend approaching, the ferry lines were daunting. We quickly abandoned our plan to hike on Waiheke and instead trekked several miles back home, following the coastline for much of the way. Next week will be much quieter for our Waiheke hike.