Wet on the Way

Tuesday 21st
This is a special day for Irene and me. We celebrate our engagement on this day every year.


For the first time ever we started the day with pancakes and after a morning of pottering about the house we set off for the Spit. Going up the street we came to the coffee shop and enjoyed chai lattes, using vouchers generously supplied by Ian.


Near the spit we sat for lunch and then moved around for a view to draw. The first splashes of rain came and stopped as suddenly.


At tea time, during the talk time, Irene let it slip that we had pancakes for breakfast. This meant more pancakes.


Wednesday 22nd
This was a day of rain. We made it down to the bus stop in St Heliers and the rain really began and made it a soggy, windy walk from Britomart to the Maritime Museum. At the entrance a guide was waiting and at 1 o'clock the tour began. Initially it was just two of us, but a little later it became five, and later still it was only the Canadian lady that stayed the course.


After two hours, no lunch and no toilet break the tour ended. Our guide had been an 82 year old Kiwi. It was fascinating to hear his reminiscences and learn more about the exhibits than we would have done without him.

Mock up of berths used by the first settlers to NZ

Americas Cup Winner

NZ Icon - 1950's shop and cafe

From the museum we made a wet and windy walk back passed the Ferry Building to Britomart.

Ferry Building

Glass dome of Britomart

Thursday 23rd

This really was a day in. A monsoon would be a good description.

Later in the afternoon we thought that we would venture up the hill for coffee. It was only drizzle on the way up, but torrential on the way down. Fortunately we still only had very light clothing and there was little to get wet and this dried quickly in the heat.

Benny enjoying watching Zoe in the bath

Friday 24th
With the weather looking good and a car available we thought that we would set off north and have an opportunity to cross the Harbour Bridge.


Irene and me set off with Sally to her office and set straight off from there. As her office was just off the slip road on to the motorway north it was easy to reach a destination without a SATNav. The destination we reached was Warkworth. It is quite a pretty township one hour north of Auckland.


After coffee we went to the information centre. Irene's reaction to the 'Glass Bottomed Boat Trip' was "I'd love to do that."


Without further ado, we were on our way to 'Goat Island'. It is a beautifully scenic journey to a beautiful place. From the shore many islands were visible. The water is clear in this 'marine reserve' and many people were enjoying diving, snorkelling, just looking into the sea or, like we did,sailing around the island in the glass bottomed boat.

Goat Island

Diving and Snorkelling

Ready to board the glass bottomed boat

Under the sea

Into a cave

Shark's Mouth Cave

On the rocks

Sand canyon

We returned through Warkworth in the hope of coffee at the Kauri walk.

Large Kauri Tree

Kauri look-out

Protecting the Kauri (Sorry about blur)

Finding no coffee we made our way back down 'Route 1'. Road works had successfully made the Manuka Honey stop too difficult to get to. Passing through the motorway toll section and tunnel we came to another township called Silverdale. I can't help thinking that this must have been like the early days of the West. The old wooden buildings in the centre are being swallowed up by the new buildings of a boom town.

An example of Silverdale wall art

Old style shops

Mum chose her chai, but I had a 'Hokey Pokey' ice-cream. It was a 'Tip Top' and a hokey pokey is an ice-cream with honey comb mixed in.

The motorway beyond here was city style with the cut and thrust of people returning home in the Friday night rush at 3.30, but we were back to Sally's office in good time to pop down to the chippy in St Heliers for, what is becoming our regular Friday night, snapper and chips. Of course, at least one us, went in for fish cake.