February 16, 2023
Walking along Karangahape Road (commonly known as K Road by the locals) we decided to pop into St. Kevins Arcade for lunch. The arcade is home to some funky little shops and one of our favorite Auckland restaurants, Gemmayze Street, serving incredible Turkish food. Unfortunately, it is not opened for lunch so, instead, we made do with eggs on toast from the cafe next door.
A wide staircase steps down from the arcade and directly into Myers Park, a narrow urban park that is name for Arthur Myers who had been mayor of Auckland from 1905 to 1909. In 1913, he gave the city nine thousand pounds to purchase the required land for the park.
The park is home of a full scale replica of Michelangelo’s ‘Moses’. The statue is made of marble from the same quarry as the original.
A path winds down toward Queen Street, lined with majestic palms.
Opened in 1915, the park was focused on children and included plans for a kindergarten and playground. An updated playground still stands in the park.
As we were walking through the park, we decided that living in one of the apartments or town homes that line part of the park would be ideal, being quiet and serene but also just steps from the hustle and bustle of Queen Street and downtown. Apparently, great minds think alike, because a couple of days later we dropped in on our friend Cris at her store, Pearl, on Great North Road. It turns out that she and her husband Peter have recently moved into one of the townhomes that line the park. As an aside, if you are in the market for Auckland’s most elegant clothes, go visit Cris at Pearl. She also showed us her recent bridal collection and the dresses were nothing short of stunning.
Mal and Lauren 