Let the Trip Begin!
Wow.
Auckland is a beautiful and sprawling city, dotted with hills to add interest.
Our hosts Bob and Judy took us on a tour which began at the Vaughn Homestead, a house built 160 years ago as a 2 room home for a young man and gradually expanded as his family grew. Through a stroke of luck, the caretakers were there and allowed us to look around inside, which is decorated with period pieces donated by local citizens.
Then we drove to a nearby beach which was virtually empty except for a few seniors and a class of children who were out on a field trip. In NZ, schools teach water safety to all kids. They have little sailboats which they learn to handle, all under the supervision of teachers and parent volunteers. I stuck my toe in the water and found it deliciously cool against the warm moist air.
We visited the harbour, stopped for lunch at an outdoor cafe where we enjoyed the breeze as well as the local beer, then drove to the summit of Victoria Mountain. Viewed from the top, Auckland reminded us of Hong Kong harbour but without the pollution. It's vast and gorgeous from up here.
Finally, we drove to another mountain and saw the ARatake Visitor Center which is a new Maori totem pole greeting visitors. The carvings are exclusively, and generously, male. This is a new totem pole. Apparently the original totem offended visiting missionaries who hacked off all the penises. They now languish in a box in some dark corner of the museum (not the missionaries).
We ended the day with drinks back at the house while the roasting lamb was emitting succulent smells from the oven. The jet lag was fast catching up to us and it was the Drambuie that finally did me in.
Can't wait for tomorrow!
Auckland is a beautiful and sprawling city, dotted with hills to add interest.
Our hosts Bob and Judy took us on a tour which began at the Vaughn Homestead, a house built 160 years ago as a 2 room home for a young man and gradually expanded as his family grew. Through a stroke of luck, the caretakers were there and allowed us to look around inside, which is decorated with period pieces donated by local citizens.
Then we drove to a nearby beach which was virtually empty except for a few seniors and a class of children who were out on a field trip. In NZ, schools teach water safety to all kids. They have little sailboats which they learn to handle, all under the supervision of teachers and parent volunteers. I stuck my toe in the water and found it deliciously cool against the warm moist air.
We visited the harbour, stopped for lunch at an outdoor cafe where we enjoyed the breeze as well as the local beer, then drove to the summit of Victoria Mountain. Viewed from the top, Auckland reminded us of Hong Kong harbour but without the pollution. It's vast and gorgeous from up here.
Finally, we drove to another mountain and saw the ARatake Visitor Center which is a new Maori totem pole greeting visitors. The carvings are exclusively, and generously, male. This is a new totem pole. Apparently the original totem offended visiting missionaries who hacked off all the penises. They now languish in a box in some dark corner of the museum (not the missionaries).
We ended the day with drinks back at the house while the roasting lamb was emitting succulent smells from the oven. The jet lag was fast catching up to us and it was the Drambuie that finally did me in.
Can't wait for tomorrow!
Comments
glad you made it and had a great first day. tell hans to be careful...i read somewhere that those visiting missionaries are still around and have a thing for any kind of a woody not just the ones on totem poles.
charlie
(dotter)