We made it. Me from London via Singapore and the Lawyer via LA and Tahiti from Lima.
I brought us a mascot.
Who else?
We’re a wee bit dozy so decided on a walk around the Quay area.
We found the university – lovely campus with stunning clock tower next to beautiful gardens – decent foxglove display – odd that the flowers are like a herbaceous border back home whereas the trees feel otherworldly.
We had an early night before a lovely organic breakfast of eggs Florentine…
…then it was up the Sky Tower. Scary looking through my feet – will I summon the confidence to bungee jump later?
And if you have the stomach this is the video of the lift going down 53 floors. Reminded me of the Tower of Terror in Disneyworld. The commentary is the Lawyer’s
We needed something more cerebral so headed for the Auckland Art Gallery. It had a fab light installation (did not allow photography – yawn) but around and about there was a huge Lego play area and some oddball items like a canoe on the wall.
After that we visited the Auckland museum – a war memorial museum at heart but with a whole range of cultural and natural historical exhibits. Set in a magnificent park (with a bottle brush tree to die for – my garden cries out for it) and some cute parakeets (you can keep these, NZ; the ones we already have are pain enough), it kept us engaged for a good few hours. I never realised fr’instance that the Kiwis lost more men in Borneo and Malaya uprisings as part of futile effort to keep the Empire intact post WW2 forces than in the Vietnam and Korean wars combined. Nor that they sent a pretty massive contingent to the Boer war in 1899. However most poignant were the WW1 stories and especially the disaster that was Gallipoli.
What most caught my eye though was an exhibition of Wearable Art. See what you think. And ladies what about the hedgehog bra?! It might dissuade the gropers I suppose.
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- knit man
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- rainbow robes
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- scary injun
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- barely there
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- paperwork
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- Ms Blobby
The day ended with dinner in Herne Bay. The English version is a slumbering seaside resort that offers a mix of interesting local businesses and a suggestion of better days behind. This version is a little more scrubbed but much of a muchliness. Good wholesome Japanese food and off to try and break the jetlag cycle.
TanGental 
So beautiful, all the frizzy trees and flowers and architecture! It’s fun that you pack us along in your blog. The elevator was daring but good practice for bungee jumping (really?). The Hub and I rent old movies from the library and we just watched one about Gallipoli (an early Mel Gibson movie). A hard story. Have fun!
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Glad you don’t mind coming along. I’ll try and capture something of the charm of the place for you. And Gallipoli was utterly gruesome..
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Fun days! Interesting video. Except for the feet it would be difficult to tell in which direction you were travelling!
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I suppose on day two down under that’s inevitable
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I love the mascot! 🙂 He was probably needed for the sky tower.
Gorgeous photos (I’ll say ‘horrible’ and ‘eww’ to the bra and we shall not speak of it again). Otherwise, stunning images–love the clock tower and foxglove. I just commented on Irene’s blog that poisonous things are usually so pretty. ? Just an observation. Also, love the Lego play area. Did you build anything?
Glad you are having a wonderful time!
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Bra forgotten Soz for letting the standards slip. True about pain and beauty. I think the pyracantha a marvellous shrub but the thrones on it beggar belief. Hope Thanksgiving is bringing you joy. Still thinking about your extraordinary post. I can’t really comment because it would only detract from their power.
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This all sounds amazing. It’s wonderful that you and the lawyer have intrests to share. It all looks amazing too! the wonders of the digital camera and the internet. Thanks for carting us along with you. By the way love the shoes in the lift. xxx
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My shoes are always getting in my photos. A sort of look down and shoot style
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🙂
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