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Auckland Anniversary Day

1/31/2017

Today is Auckland Anniversary Day, a public holiday in the northern part of New Zealand's North Island. It commemorates the founding of the first British colony in the Bay of Islands (now greater Auckland) in 1840.

It is a beautiful, sunny day with temperatures expected to rise to 24C (75F). In addition to the continuing Cloud Market and the Buskers Festival there are a number of aquatic activities today in Auckland. We catch the 9 am ferry and soon are walking along the seaport to some of the celebration venues.

We begin with the dragon boat races in the viaduct. The teams have come from across New Zealand and prepare for their race with stretches, exercises and a chant/cheer. They load, then paddle determinedly to the starting point. The starting signal starts the teams paddling in rhythm to their drummer with the beat increasing as they approach the finish line. The determination and enjoyment shows in their faces and they pass the finish line, whether first or last.

Next up is a tugboat race. The boats gather in the bay, with the captains having fun spraying water or "nudging" each other. Then they line up and are off. This is when we realize that tugboats are not known for speed. 😳

We stop for a late brunch at O'Hagens Irish restaurant. I order the chicken waffles with chipotle maple syrup, streaky bacon and lemon creme fraiche. William has the full Irish breakfast - 2 eggs, bacon, beans, grilled tomato, and a sausage. Both are very good, but I think I win for best meal.

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Exploring Auckland and the Buskers Festival

1/29/2017

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We take the ferry into Auckland to further explore the city. Queen Street is a primary shopping street and although there are some local stores, it is dotted with everything from McDonalds to Prada. We turn off of Queen Street and walk uphill a few blocks to St. Patrick's Cathedral. Our next stop is the Toi o Tamaki art museum. There is a special exhibit of Māori portraits which sounds interesting and because of the Auckland Anniversary holiday weekend it is free admission. The almost 120 paintings were completed by Gottfried Lindauer between 1874 and 1926. The Māori chiefs and leaders jump to life on his canvases. Unfortunately photography is not allowed in the gallery so we are not able to share an image or two with you.

For lunch we stop at Shakespeare Brewery which is the first New Zealand microbrewery. Along with the Shakespeare Hotel, it's housed in a building which is over 100 years old. The beer and food are quite good.

The International Busker's Festival is being held this weekend on Auckland's Waterfront. As we soon learn, a Busker is a street performer. We are able to catch three shows, the Kamikaze Fireflies (a couple from LA with Guinness World Records around Hulu Hoops), Quatour Stomp (four guys in pink tutu's doing acrobatic tricks), and Duke Dreamer (who's closing sketch includes lighting his bum on fire). It's a fun time.

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Around our Devonport Neighborhood

1/29/2017

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Friday we explore our Devonport neighborhood. 1.3 km from the cottage is the North Head. It is a hill on the north side of Auckland Harbour which is currently a park but played an important role in the defense of Auckland from the 1880's until after WW2. We explore some of the bunkers and tunnels as well as enjoy the views.

North Head looks down on Cheltenham Beach. The beach is just 1 1/2 blocks from our cottage. We walk the beach then sit and enjoy views of the water as well as observe the families that have come to swim, paddle and picnic (many buying their food at Bema Takeaway, a fish and chips shop in the neighborhood).

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Waiheke Island

1/29/2017

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When I was researching Auckland a trip to Waiheke Island was frequently recommended.  It is known for it's arts, beaches, hiking and wines and is a vacation spot for people throughout New Zealand.

Happily there is ferry service directly from Devonport to Waiheke Island, so on this Thursday morning with a weather forecast of mostly sunny skies with a high of 21C (70 F) we head to the dock for the 9:10.

We have decided to focus our visit on the island scenery and wineries... with a small dash of hiking and beaches thrown in.  Our day passes on the public bus system is our form of transportation.  The public bus follows basically the same route with the same frequency as the Hop-On, Hop-Off Bus, and is $10 per person for the day instead of $45.  Plus (or maybe minus - you never know) we may meet some local people from the island.

Our first stop after the ferry drops us off is Oneroa Beach Club for brunch.  The restaurant is on the main street across from the beach.  After a good meal we catch the #1 Bus and take it to the end, Onetangi Beach.  According to the map it is close to two wineries/vineyards.  The ride takes 30 minutes and winds the length of the western half of the island.  The bus is mainly tourists and the bus driver is very helpful in announcing the stops of key interest.

The driver takes us to the end of the line and stops the bus. We are right across from beautiful Onetangi beach and there is a road perpendicular to the beach. We ask the driver about the wineries and he says to follow the road the take a left and go up the stairs to Seaview Road. We look up and see houses and a road high above. Oy! Well, we're committed so after a few minutes enjoying the beach we begin down the road.

Sure enough, we find the approximately 120 steps which take us up to Seaview Road. From there we pull out google maps which shows the winery I am most interested in to be to the right for approximately a 15 minute walk. A scenic (though more than 15 minute) walk delivers us to Obsidian Winery.

This is not a fancy tasting facility built for the tourist industry but is a steel building with tables outside. Sitting in the shade tasting sipping wine lifts our spirits. Between us William and I taste seven different wines. We think all are good to very good. Lightly fortified, we retrace our steps back to the bus stop. We have a little time to enjoy the beach and adjacent park then board the bus.

The bus drops us off at the long driveway to Stoneridge, our second winery. It is one of four wineries in a row, similar to the feel of Napa many wineries are adjacent to each other. What a difference from Obsidian! Their winery is oriented toward tourists, no doubt aided by their cafe. They do not offer the typical tastings with sommeliers discussing the wine. Instead you read the wine notes, decide if you want a tasting, glass or bottle of their different wines, order at a counter, pay, then find a place to sit on the patio or lawn to enjoy. The wines have varied prices. We share tastings of three wines ($3, $6, $8). The first two we consider OK, while the third is very good. However, I'm not really interested in buying a bottle at $120!

While Te Motu Winery is tempting and "right next door" we remember that the last ferry direct to Devonport leaves at 4:15 (otherwise we would need to go to Auckland and then catch another ferry to Devonport). We opt to head back to the bus stop and then catch the ferry. At the ferry building we note the sculptures being setup on the southern hiking trail from the harbor. This coming weekend there will be an annual sculpture exhibit which is expected to attract 50,000 people.

We return to Devonport happy with our tasting of Waiheke Island arts, beaches, hiking and wines.

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Exploring Devonport

1/28/2017

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It feels great to sleep in on Wednesday. It's a day to stay local and start to see more of this delightful small community. We start by climbing up Mount Victoria, the highest point in the Auckland suburbs at 87 meters. Okay, by Rockies or Andes standards it would be considered a small hill. Nonetheless, it is a uphill climb which provides us with great views of Auckland's Waitemata Harbor. At the top we find the remains of Fort Victoria including a disappearing gun from 1899. There's also some "mushrooms", which are actually well decorated air vents.

Following Mount Victoria we drive to downtown and park near the ferry dock, then begin following a walking tour mostly near the Harbor. There are some beautifully maintained homes from early 1900's.

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Auckland Museum

1/28/2017

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We wake early Tuesday, which is not surprising considering that we went to bed at 8pm.  After breakfast we decide to take the ferry over to Auckland and see some sites.

The Devonport to Auckland ferry is easy to navigate.  The Devonport ferry dock is downtown with a couple of parking lots nearby.  We buy a 10 ride pass for $48 NZD and soon we are on the next ferry.  The ride to the Auckland central business district is less than 15 minutes.  William is ready for the day as we arrive at the beautiful Ferry Building.

There are a few sites we are interested in seeing, including the Auckland Museum.  The woman at the information desk directs us to the stop for the Inner Circle bus.  The bus ride takes us through a few neighborhoods before the stop for near the museum.   A 15 minute walk (uphill of course) takes us to the entrance.

The ground floor contains exhibits about the people of the pacific, with a great deal about New Zealand's indigenous people, the Māori. We have a wonderful time exploring the exhibits and learning about the Māori. There is also a special exhibit on the music of New Zealand. It contains some very old instruments (even a hurdy gurdy) through a modern recording studio.

The first floor is about natural history. There we see a stuffed kiwi as well as other animals and fish of New Zealand. The top floor tells New Zealand's War stories, primarily about World War 1 and 2.

After three hours in the museum (including a modest break at the museum cafe) we leave and meander 15 minutes to a set of buildings on the edge of the property. It turns out to be the Wintergarten. We're rewarded with two buildings of beautiful plants joined by a nice courtyard.

Our tired feet tell us it is time to head back to Devonia Cottage so we catch the Inner Circle bus, walk a few blocks and then grab the next ferry to Devonport. We return to Devonia Cottage happy about a fun day of discovery and learning.

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Devonia Cottage

1/26/2017

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The Auckland suburb of Devonport is our home for the next 8 days. We have rented Devonia Cottage via the online site Flipkey. As we go down the driveway we find the one bedroom cottage behind a lovely Victorian home on a quiet street. We are warmly greeted by our hostess Sue who shows us the amenities, talks briefly about the area and then politely departs allowing two weary travelers to settle in.

After watching the end of the Green Bay-Atlanta football game (so odd on a Monday morning) and a 90 minute nap we awaken and are famished.  Airplane food is high in carbs and although I brought along cheese, salami and chicken tenders in a cooler pack to supplement, our diets are off-balance.  We drive 10 minutes to Devonport downtown finding 10-15 restaurants within a five block walk.  The Patriot catches our eye.  I order a delicious seafood chowder and William chooses the mixed grill - an assortment of lamb, pork ribs, sausage, fried egg, and black pudding with a handful of fries.  He's in protein heaven.  The fries go virtually untouched.

After our meal we check out the downtown area and find the New World Supermarket to buy our initial provisions for the week.  My first impression is oh my - everything is quite expensive.  But then I have to convert from grams to ounces and New Zealand dollars to US dollars - something for later; for now we just concentrate on getting what we need.  $171 NZD later we smile as we walk out of the market.

We desperately try to stay awake until at least 8 pm local time to try to adjust to the new time zone.  I use some of the time to examine the grocery receipt and do the math.  The 200g (7 oz) of coffee is ~$5 US.  The store brand chicken thighs equate to $3 US per pound. $4.50 US for a pound of butter and $9 US for a bottle of Brancott Sauvignon Blanc.  Basically grocery prices are the same as Chicago suburbs - factoring in the advantage of the strong US dollar to the New Zealand dollar.

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Off to New Zealand

1/26/2017

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On an unusually warm Chicago January day we begin our journey to New Zealand. .  The car picks us up at 2:15pm for our planned 24+ hour journey to New Zealand. starting Saturday afternoon in Chicago and ending Monday morning outside of Auckland. The first leg of our flight is scheduled for 6 pm to San Francisco, a 4 1/2 hour flight.  We have a 2 hour layover, then a 13 1/2 hour flight to Auckland where we will rent a car and drive 45 minutes to our first rental cottage in Devonport.  We started talking about this trip a little over a year ago and made our first booking 10 months ago when the flights became available using Mileage Plus points.  At last we are on our way.

Our flights are on time and without issues.  We paid for extended legroom on the San Francisco - Auckland flight and it is definitely worth the $240 per seat to be able to stretch a little bit.  The plane is configured 3-3-3 and we are in the middle section.  Although the gate attendant warns repeatedly that the flight is full, we luck out and there is an empty seat between us., and because we booked the middle section of the plane we both have aisle seats.  Yeah!

Auckland has a nice international terminal.  After baggage claim and customs we find a cell phone provider and get a local chip for William's phone.  We then call Omega Car Rentals to pick us up.  The rental agent is very helpful, providing advice on driving in New Zealand, taking the ferry between islands and other general tips.   William says he will be happy if he can just remember to drive on the left side of the road. We plug the address of Devonia Cottage into google maps and are on our way - with me trying to help with navigation around traffic circles and how to turn right when you are on the left side of the road.  We don't run into anything or get lost, so we are off to a good start.

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The Bacon-Sausage Roll Experience

1/7/2017

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Christmas is a time when we frequently try out new recipes/ideas. A few years ago we made turducken (deboned turkey stuffed with chicken stuffed with duck). Our son Paul found a YouTube and how to assemble and make turducken and everyone pitched in at some part of the process (although we all thanked God and Jim for his culinary and butcher skills). This year William found a YouTube on how to make a smoked bacon-sausage roll, so of course we need to try it!

Breakfast sausage is placed in a ziploc bag and rolled flat, then removed from the bag and placed on wax paper. Jim adds spices then sautéed mushrooms and sautéed spinach along with cheese on the sausage then carefully rolls it up.

William creates a weave of thick-cut bacon strips (7 slices x 8 slices) on another piece of wax paper. The wax paper is carefully removed from the sausage roll (next time we will first put it in the freezer for 15-20 minutes) and placed on the bacon weave. The bacon weave and sausage are then carefully rolled together by Jim and William and placed on a rack.

As we have been doing this the wood chips have been soaking and Jim has started the Weber. The coals are placed on one-third of the grill and a pan of water and (flavored with scotch whiskey) next to it. One-third of the soaked wood chips are added over the coals and the top grate placed upon the Weber. Now it's time to add the rack with the bacon-sausage roll to start the smoking. Every 30 minutes Jim monitors the fire and status of the wood chips, adding as needed. 2 1/2 hours later a layer of BBQ sauce is added to the roll and at the three hour mark the roll is done. It is delicious!

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Christmas Day

1/7/2017

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We all sleep late on Christmas Day. On the drive from our hotel to Jim and Sally's apartment, William and I stop for some photo's of Pike's Peak and
Garden of the Gods. So pretty!

The four of us spend the day mostly talking and preparing then eating food. It's laid-back and very relaxing. We exchange wonderful gifts. We watch several fun movies. We talk about the past and the future. Phone calls and texts are exchanged with other members of the families as well as friends. We smile, laugh and enjoy being together. It is a perfect holiday.

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<<Previous

Auckland Anniversary Day

Exploring Auckland and the Buskers Festival

Around our Devonport Neighborhood

Waiheke Island

Exploring Devonport

Auckland Museum

Devonia Cottage

Off to New Zealand

The Bacon-Sausage Roll Experience

Christmas Day

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