May 7, 2021
We started out today’s walk visiting Mal’s old school friend, Johnny, at his beautiful old villa in Parnell.
Johnny and his wife, Jo, bought their house from New Zealand music legend, Neil Finn, of Crowded House fame and one of the bedrooms in the house used to be a recording studio. You can still see the soundproofing and extra thick doors. Apparently, kiwi music icon, Dave Dobbyn, recorded his classic album “The Islander” in the house’s studio.
From Parnell we walked over to the nearby retail district of Newmarket. Along the way, we passed by this classic Alfa Romeo.
Many of the shops in Newmarket are on Broadway, the main street bisecting the neighborhood.
Including one of the city’s largest shopping malls.
But many of Newmarket’s best stores, restaurants and cafes are in its smaller side streets.
Normally by this time of the year we are back in Washington DC, so it has been interesting to experience an Auckland Autumn. It is not quite as flashy as in Washington but still beautiful in places.
Just up the hill from Newmarket is Auckland Grammar School where Mal went to high school. Grammar, as it is commonly known, is a public boys’ school that was established in 1868. It is always one of New Zealand’s top ranking schools in academics and sports and is something of a family tradition with Mal’s father, uncle, cousins and nephews all attending over the years. With over 2,600 students, the school has more than doubled in size since Mal was a student there and there are many new buildings. One building that hasn’t changed is the Spanish Mission Style main building, constructed in 1916.
Over the main entrance is the school’s Latin motto ‘Per Angusta ad Augusta’ which translates to ‘Through difficulties to greatness’.
Every morning, the whole school gathers for Assembly in the impressive main hall. No doubt, things have changed now, but corporal punishment was the rule back in Mal’s time. He vividly recalls being caned (hit on the backside with a long flexible stick made of rattan) once for being spotted talking during Assembly. The only upside was that the caning took place privately and not in front of the whole school.
Mal was surprised to see in a classroom some of the desks that were in use during his days at the school. Even then they appeared to have come from the Victorian era.
School had just finished for the day and a number of students were playing pick-up basketball. Like virtually all students in New Zealand, Grammar boys wear school uniforms. The Grammar uniform is navy blue shorts and shirt with black shoes and long socks in the winter and sandals in the summer.
Mal and Lauren 