Category Archives: Uncategorized

March 11, 2023 Gibbs Farm is about an hour’s drive north of Auckland on the shores of Kaipara Harbour. It is a beautiful farm but what makes it incredibly special is the collection of massive sculpture that Alan Gibbs, one of New Zealand’s wealthiest people, has acquired for the property. The farm is only openContinue reading “Gibbs Farm, Kaipara Harbour, New Zealand”

February 9, 2023 Our good friend, John, guided us on a tour through his neighborhood of Grey Lynn. Most of the houses in the neighborhood were built between the 1800s and the beginning of the First World War. They were constructed quickly and with little variation of layout as can be seen in this earlyContinue reading “Grey Lynn, Auckland, New Zealand”

February 4, 2023 Otara is a largely Polynesian suburb in south Auckland. It translates from Maori as The Place of Tara, named for a Maori chief in the area. Otara gained some degree of fame in 1995 with the worldwide hit single “How Bizarre” by local hip hop artists, OMC. OMC stood for “Otara Millionaire’sContinue reading “Otara Market, Auckland”

March 2, 2023 Back in Auckland, we decided to continue our exploration of nearby neighborhoods. This day found us in Westmere, where Mal’s dear cousin Annette not only lives but also teaches at the local primary school. Here are some of the variety of houses we saw during the walk. We encountered some interesting fences,Continue reading “Westmere, Auckland”

February 27, 2023 Mal’s brother and sister-in-law drove us out to Korumburra, the small town where they live, about 90 minutes east of Melbourne. Along the way, we stopped at the even smaller town of Loch, where we stretched our legs and wandered along its main street. After lunch in Korumburra, Russ and Di droveContinue reading “Loch / Inverloch, Australia”

February 24, 2023 We spent a beautiful sunny morning exploring The Rocks, one of Sydney’s oldest neighborhoods, dating right back to the formation of the colony in 1788. From its earliest history it had a reputation as a slum but now it mainly consists of restaurants, bars and shops, catering to the large groups ofContinue reading “Sydney, Australia”

February 23, 2023 We walked over to the Art Gallery of New South Wales. In particular, we wanted to see the brand new Sydney Modern Project extension to the Gallery. Opening in December 2022 it has almost doubled the Gallery’s exhibition space, cost well in excess of $300 million. Here are some of the sightsContinue reading “Sydney, Australia”

February 22, 2023 We spent the next day wandering around downtown Sydney, checking out the shops and dodging the trams. Sydney has some beautiful old shopping arcades, including the impressive Queen Victoria Building, opened in 1898. And The Strand Arcade, opened in 1891. In the evening we joined our good friends John and Fiona forContinue reading “Sydney, Australia”

February 21, 2023 Back in 1983, we lived in Sydney for a couple of months. Our home was a one bedroom bedsit in the inner-city neighborhood of Redfern. Back then Redfern had not gentrified and was a little rough around the edges. In fact, there was a riot in the neighborhood while we were there.Continue reading “Sydney, Australia”

February 18, 2023 Out on an evening walk, we found ourselves up on Ponsonby Road, where the annual pride parade was about to begin. As the parade’s participants got themselves ready, we wandered around, enjoying the happy vibes. Particularly joyful, was the Brazilian carnival band, banging out Afro-Brazilian rhythms on an assortment of drums andContinue reading “Auckland, New Zealand”