The next day we were able to persuade Emily to go out to Crystal Mountain. When we got there the attendant asked if we had been before, to which Emily quickly replied that it is one of our favourite places. She started on the bungy jump and ended there.
As part of the outing we made our way to the cafe in Ellerslie to meet with Sally and be treated to authentic Mexican food.
The next day, as forecast, the rain was torrential. The storm drains here are massive and take the rain water straight out to sea. The coast road can flood when the tides are high and it is blowing a storm off the sea.
The plan was to take Emily to 'Extreme Edge' climbing centre. This was everybody else's plan. We were then supposed to go on to 'Wendy's' burger place, but we were forced to return home by the large crowds already queuing. The next plan was for me to take Irene and Emily down to the manicurist in St Heliers and I would meet Sally for a drink in Mortimers.
The wind and rain were backing off a tad and we sat under the awning, being heated by red glowing electric fires and consuming our beers. As we sat we could see the small cloud that was on top of Rangitoto expand until it obscured the island and moved towards us with more rain. This passed quickly over us and the island became visible once more.
We took one car home and then picked up the well manicured ladies before driving along the coast to Mission Bay. As we went along we could see that the sea had taken a browny hue as the wind whipped up the sea, bringing up the sand in this shallow part.
As requested by Emily we ended up at the Masala restaurant. Thanks to the poor weather it was easy to park and the restaurant was very quiet. Despite this the service was very slow and there was talk of leaving. However, when the food did arrive is was well worth the wait. It was obviously prepared fresh. Sally and Emily had a frozen yoghurt before we came home.
Surprisingly, the next day was to be very different. Although it started with some light drizzle it soon stopped and by the time that Irene and I got to Hamilton the sky was blue, there was just a breeze and the heat built up quickly.
Once more the crowds were out in force and again we were in the overflow car park. Hamilton Gardens are always beautiful, but today they were spectacular. Our first call was to the toilets and then to the cafe where we had coffee and cake, sitting looking over the lake.
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| Everyone's a Master Chef |
After coffee we paid a couple of dollars each to visit the local, Waikato lilly growers exhibition. This was a real bonus as we watched and heard real enthusiasts talking about their interest.
Having walked around the lake we found our way to the central gardens where the themed gardens were to be found. Last time we visited this area it was August 2003, it was far cooler, less colourful and less crowded. When we made our 2003 visit to the 'American Modernist Garden' it was quiet. This time children played in the pool.
In one of the gardens Irene overheard a child asking its mother if she could play in the ornamental fountain. Obviously the answer should have been 'No', but the answer was that it would be all right unless someone told you off. I almost forget to write about the secluded spot that we 'found'. It took sometime to realise that we were not looking at three circular holes and a mirror.
There were new gardens which included Tudor, Maori, tropical and an English version of a Chinese garden. This was a large lawn with the façade of pagoda. New gardens are planned.
Our final walk was up to the Victorian greenhouses. We have previously enjoyed seeing these but this time they were closed to the public and a wedding breakfast was laid out.
Route 1 always amazes me. It goes from the far north at Cape Reinga down through Auckland and away to Wellington on the south of North Island. A ferry then takes vehicles across to Picton where it continues to the far south to end at Bluff. Even on the bit of it that we travelled to Hamilton the road is so varied. It has three and four lanes in Auckland. It is sometimes a dual carriageway, but suddenly the speed limit drops from 100 kpm to 50 kpm as it goes through townships where you can pull off for refreshments. There is a lot of modernisation going on with new roadways and fabulous flyovers.
On the way back we made a stop at service station north of Auckland. It was very modern with a number of eating place, including a MacDonalds. Here I consumed a Georgie Pie. This is basically a mince and cheese pie. It was world famous in New Zealand, disappeared for some years ago and was re-established by MacDonalds about two years ago. It was delicious.
Twice during the week we had passed Hillside Community Church which is about 10 minutes drive away and we decided to pay a visit on Sunday. I saw on the website that it was a baptist church and to my surprise one of the ministries was called 'Silver Eagles'. It is still the holidays here and it was quiet. It was housed in a large building. Unlike many of the larger churches we found the people to be very open and friendly. The service was very much Pentecostal and was led by a very gifted musician. The service was very open for the congregation to share their thoughts about the scriptures. The contributions flowed and very uplifting. We left them with promise that we would return.
We took our lunch to the top of Mount Wellington, but the cold wind had returned and we only ventured briefly to look over the landscape. From here, with the tide out we could see how narrow, but navigable was the channel from the end of the Spit to Howick.
We wanted somewhere less windy to walk so I drove us down to the Panmure Basin. The tide was out and it was practically dry. However, I was able to take my first shot of my first good sighting of a kingfisher.
The car was pointed towards Pakuranga where I knew would be a Warehouse. There was not a great choice of shorts but I found a suitable pair to buy before heading back.
Today it is Monday 11th and I immediately think about Joe starting is new job and hoping that all goes well for him.
We have just been to take Emily to the Auckland Art Gallery for her first visit. For a while we wondered if this had been a good idea, but the last gallery inspired her and after picking up a MacDonald she began her work.
I have done a stupid. Having got a 'pay and display' ticket from the meter I forgot to display it and have a £20 fine to pay. What a day and it is not finished.
Fines here are strange. They seem to be a fact of life. Even speeding tickets carry no more than a reasonable, financial settlement provided they are paid on time.
