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.
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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