Art and Museum and Disaster

On Friday Joni and Fiona drove us into the city of Auckland to visit the art gallery. Appropriately, for Fiona, the main display was of Danish furniture. The aim was to show the inovations that Danish furniture makers came up with, using new materials, after the second world war.

 Of course packs of the earliest Lego were on display.

For some reason art galleries often have interesting views through the windows.

 At the end of the day we watched the sun set over Rangitoto. Aotearoa means, literally, ao=cloud, tea=white, pale, roa=long. That is 'long white cloud'. It does not mean 'Land of the Long White Cloud'. The name was initially used for North Island and we have often seen the long white clouds form over the sea.

 The next day Sally took me, mum, Joni, Fiona and Emily off to the Auckland museum. Emily was particularly interested in the volcano display. Then we went through to see stuff on Pacific Islanders, photos of old Auckland compared to very recent ones and then into a gallery of Cooke's first landing in New Zealand.

 Finally we headed the war memorial gallery on the way out. 

At one point we stood behind two grandparents and their grand children. Joni said that we were waiting for him to press the button. He was shown how to do it. The lift came, he got on, but no one else did. Grandad went off to find him. The lift returned and the little lad got off with an entourage of Maori dancers and warriors.
Outside the sun was shining.

We went home for lunch and spied Benny enjoying a nap in a white plant pot.

Joni and Fiona were keen to have an ice cream at Mövenpick in Mission Bay and so the five of us set off. It is very delicious ice cream. The bay was full of holiday makers enjoying sea, sand and sun. Bubbles had to be content with a walk on a leash.

 Bubbles did get to chase his ball at Madill's farm in Kohi.
Joni and Fiona left for home that night.
The following day was bright but the wind was cold. After doing our shopping in the morning Sally took us to sea the bays at Titirangi. This is on the west coast. The bays were accessed by roads which were at least tarred, but steep and windy. Titirangi was the first beach that we came to. It was very quite, but a typical NZ bay and headlan arrangement. Even here house were perched on top of the steep hill facing the sea.

 On the shore was a vivid pink jellyfish.

We were driven inland and out again to 'French Bay'. This was busier with more facilities and families enjoying time on the beach.

 Sally spotted, on her phone map, a contemporary art gallery nearby. As the wind was still cold we thought that an indoor visit might be good even though our expectations were not high. However, the gallery turned out to be a very modern. Its full name is Te Uru Waitakere Contemporary Gallery. It is a well designed building. The lift could hold 43 people and a bench seat. The gallery featured some of the best artist of NZ. The ceramics were particularly interesting.

 As usual I had to find an interesting view of the building.

 Next door there was the 'Deco Eatery Cafe' in the art deco building. This was a good place for coffee before going home.
This morning (30th December) we got up expecting our usual, uneventful day in the place where we were house sitting. This particular morning my routine was slightly different as I chose to turn on the lights above the mirror in the bathroom. They did not come on. I tried other lights and remembered the brief flicker of the bedroom light. I knew that the lighting circuit trip had gone and so I went down the stairs to the basement thinking that this was where they would be. I put my foot on the tiled floor at the bottom and finished up sitting in two inches of water with blood coming out of my left hand.
I knew that we had trouble. I looked around and water was coming down from the edges of the ceiling into the lower rooms. I could not find a stop cock where they would be in the UK. I tried ringing Sally but she was still asleep. In the end I put on sandals and a shirt and dashed down to wake Sally. She drove us up. She knew where the stop cock was and water stopped flowing. While she mopped and put down towels I was sent off to get a better mop and a dehumidifier. To do this I had a 'crash course' in driving an automatic for the first time in four years. It was not really a crash course and I quickly got control. 
Sally called the owners who called their plumber. Their plumber was on holiday on Waiheke Island. Sally called her own plumber. He only had to make two holes in the ceiling to find the pipe that had split. We can go back tonight.

So This is Christmas and Boxing Day

Finally, after a wait of 365 days, Christmas arrives. The first party in New Zealand was on the Monday 23rd when Sally entertained Simone and her family. In fact Irene and I have known them on and off for a few years and seen the youngest of her children grow up from babyhood. The house was full of fun and presents were exchanged. Simone even bought gifts for Irene and me.

Irene and I left for the nearby B and B on Monday night. It was superb accommodation hosted by a very friendly Iain Campbell and his wife Jan. After a comfortable night we had a good continental style breakfast before walking down to Sylvia Road. 
Christmas eve was more than a day of preparation. Ian's nieces, Sam and Ellie arrived from California and later Joni and Fiona flew in from Wellington. 
On Christmas morning Irene and I woke in our B and B room. We exchanged presents. We both knew what the other was giving. I had kept mine a secret until we arrived at customs in Auckland. I was called over because the X-ray showed that I had a pair of secateurs in my luggage. It wasn't that what I was bringing in was sharp. They were worried that the garden tool was covered in foreign, polluted earth. I assured the officers that the tools were new and clean.

We also finished off the advent calendars that Sally had given us. The top of each box came off revealing a large, hollow chocolate Santa.
When we arrived back at the family home it was still quiet. This did not last long as the Santa presents were rapidly unwrapped amidst excited shouts.

At lunch time bacon was cooked on the barbecue and put on to pancakes with maple syrup.

 After lunch it was the dog's turn to get some exercise. It was also an opportunity for mum and I to sit on the bench at Glover Park overlooking Brown's Island.

 We were very worried that Bubbles would take it into his head to chase the ball over the cliff. I kid you not, his obsession with chasing and retrieving the ball is the stuff of legends.
A photograph of the group was also necessary. 

 The traditional swim with the new pool toys was to follow.

 Even Bubbles joined in.

This activity gave me the opportunity to build Emily's Lego boat.

 Unwrapping the gifts under the tree was the next activity.

 The main Christmas meal followed when we ate ham and pork. Please notice the absence of young people who opted to sit at the table on the decking.

 There was, of course, Christmas pudding. Joni and Fiona made their own brandy butter as this is not a product easily found in New Zealand. Unfortunately the brandy butter and the mashed potatoes were in similar dishes. I discovered this at the first spoonful from my Christmas pudding dish. 
Pavlova is the more normal choice of pudding.

To end the day the young people played noisy party games and karaoke while the adults looked on.

 For us Christmas day was over. Mum and I retired to our peaceful b and b.
In the morning we said goodbye to our hosts as we prepared to move to another accommodation down the road.

This was the home of one of Sally's friends. We had met them earlier. It turned out that before coming to live in New Zealand they lived in Beeston near to our previous home. They were to leave for a family holiday on Boxing Day morning and we would house and cat sit for them.
Before moving into the house we went on a journey north with Joni and Fiona. Our first stop was the Honey Centre at Warkworth. It was also a cafe. We sat out in the blazing sun talking on the phone to both our UK families.

 We visited the shop and tasted the honey. I took photos of the observation hives.

 Our destination was 'Sculptureum' at Matakana. This was what it says. Admission was quite expensive and we were asked if we had a 'Gold Card'. I said that I had a Derbyshire Gold Card so we were admitted on the strength of "Two normals and two Derbyshire Gold Cards".

We started at the outside area.

Inevitably there were photographs to show where we had been.

After refreshments we went to the indoor galleries even though a large section of it was outside.

 The polar bear marked the start of the fun section that had a large, green rabbit,

 meerkats of various colours,

 and, of course, the world famous, pink snails.

 There were a few more beautiful exhibits as we made our way out of the gallery.

 For lunch we were taken to 'Brick Bay Wines and Sculpture Trail'. Our only interest was food. This came in the form of sharing plates.

Joni and Fiona sampled wines.

 Joni read that one of his wines had a flavour of leather, while I read the label on my bottle which claimed to have the nature of a Ford Cortina or a well loved white shirt.
Our Boxing Day meal was ham and we played 'Flux' before returning, once more, to our quiet accommodation.