March 18, 2023
The suburbs on the north side of Auckland, across the harbor bridge, are collectively called The North Shore or just The Shore. On a warm sunny day we decided to go for a drive over the bridge and go for a walk along Narrow Neck, one of the beautiful beaches that line the coastline. Once again, we were reminded how lucky Aucklanders are to have so many amazing beaches so close at hand.
March 16, 2023
Next on our list of volcanic peaks to climb was Big King. The neighborhood surrounding Big King is called Three Kings, as the volcano originally had three peaks. The other two have been quarried for scoria so now only Big King, originally the second highest peak, remains. The name Three Kings comes from the Bible’s Three Wise Men who bore gifts to the baby Jesus. In Maori, the peak is called Te Tatua O Riukiuta which translates as The War Belt of Riukiuta. Riukiuta was a senior priest of the Tainui confederation of Maori tribes.
It is not one of highest peaks but is quite steep. Fortunately, there were steps on the steepest parts.
As we have mentioned in prior posts, the city has taken advantage of the height of the volcanic peaks in Auckland by excavating water storage tanks into many of their summits. Big King is the first peak that we have climbed where the tank actually stands on top of the summit.
On the side of the tank was a painting of Dog from the classic New Zealand comic strip, Footrot Flats, by Murray Ball. The strip, that ran from 1976 to 1994, followed the adventures of a sheepdog, known only as Dog, and his farmer owner Wal Foxtrot. Think Snoopy, but on a New Zealand farm.
Here is the view from the top, looking toward Mt. Eden and the city beyond.
In the 1930s and 1940s, thousands of detached two and three bedroom, cottage-style, houses were built throughout New Zealand to provide housing for low income families. Known locally as state houses, they have a reputation as being well-built and many are now privately owned.
It’s interesting to contrast the state houses with the terrace homes currently being built alongside the mountain. It is hard to imagine them standing the test of time as well as the state houses have.
March 14, 2023
Continuing our climbs of Auckland’s volcanic peaks, we caught the ferry over to Devonport where we summited Mt. Victoria, named for the British Queen. Its Maori name is Takarunga, meaning “The Hill Standing Above”. An important pa (fortified village) once occupied its slopes. In 1841, a signal station was constructed on its peak to better facilitate traffic to the Port of Auckland and in 1895, a gun fort was added. The fort was in use until after World War II and the signal station is still active.
Like many of Auckland’s volcanic peaks, Mt. Victoria is the home of a water reservoir that was dug into the top. It is only visible by the vents that sit above it and resemble a field of cartoon mushrooms.
With its commanding views of the surrounding harbour, it is easy to see why Mt. Victoria was chosen as a place to build a signal station and fort.
The walk down the mountain is very pretty, through the shady trees.
Perched about halfway up the mountain is a beautiful old villa that was built in 1898, to house the signalman. Today, the Michael King Writer’s Center offers up residence in the home, along with a stipend, to up to fifteen writers a year, enabling them to retreat to the home and work on writing projects. Michael King is perhaps New Zealand’s best known historian. He wrote over thirty books on New Zealand topics, including the bestselling Penguin History of New Zealand. Tragically, he died in 2004, at the peak of his career, in a car crash.
This beautiful old Citroen is the classic car of the day.
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 open to public a few times a year. If you have the opportunity to visit, then we highly recommend you do. And if sculpture isn’t your thing, then there is also the diverse collection of exotic animals to view, including giraffes, bison, and ostriches.
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 early photograph of Grey Lynn that we came upon on a local fence.
Today, there are many more trees lining the streets but most of the original houses remain. Although the houses differed little in layout, they are differentiated by the application of mass produced items such as wooden fretwork. Many also have bay windows, which at the time marked the owner as a member of the middle class. Here are some examples.
One of the joys of walking in the city is the things you come across that you don’t often notice driving by. For example, we came across this pottery studio, tucked into one of the side streets, where we were greeted by two friendly dogs and an apprentice working on some pottery.
The classic car of the day was this beautiful Hillman Minx convertible.
The Royal New Zealand Returned and Services Association, known locally as the RSA, was founded after World War One by soldiers returning from the Gallipoli Campaign. There are over 180 local RSAs throughout New Zealand and their club houses are a common sight, even in the smallest towns. But we have not seen any as impressive as the Grey Lynn club house with its extensive mural, depicting New Zealand military history.
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’s Club”, a tongue in cheek reference to the suburb’s low socio-economic status. Now Otara is mainly known for its Saturday morning market which we visited for the first time. The fruit and vegetables were definitely well priced. For example, Kumara (sweet potato) that sells for over $13 at our local supermarket was selling for just over $3 at Otara market.
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, including one made of bamboo and another made of shells.
We also liked this classic orange and white caravan.
One distinguishing feature of New Zealand are the ubiquitous dairies (small general stores) that are often decked out in bright colors and advertising. Here are two from the neighborhood.
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 drove us to nearby Inverloch beach where they often go for walks.
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 of tourists that arrive each day on the massive cruise ships that dock at the adjacent port.
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 sights and artworks we saw during our wander around its extensive spaces.
We even participated in creating an art piece. Rolling little balls out of clay to be included in a work called Archive of Mind by the South Korean conceptual artist, Kimsooja.
Deep under the new building is a very cool exhibit called The Tank. A massive oil tank had been built to provide fuel for the navy during World War II. It has now been transformed into a dramatic space with shifting light falling across industrial looking sculpture.
We then walked over to the old wing of the gallery which was also rather impressive.
We finished the day at the Landsdowne Hotel watching No Cigar play their first Australian gig. John and Fi’s son, Ned, is the band’s drummer.
Mal and Lauren