Mal and Lauren

January 19, 2023

If it is a nice day, an added bonus of going to and from Waiheke is the trip on the ferry.

January 18, 2023

On another glorious day, we started out by looking around the shops at Oneroa.

But with the dogs eagerly waiting in the car, we quickly headed off for a walk along the dramatic coast line.

And then it was back to Palm Beach for what we guess you could only call the opposite of sunbathing.

We finished the day with yet another excellent meal. This time it was at Ki Maha restaurant, right on the beach at Onetangi.

January 17, 2023

If beautiful beaches, food and wine are your thing, then Waiheke is definitely the place for you. We hopped the ferry from downtown Auckland and in less than an hour we were disembarking at Matiatia Bay to be greeted by our host Judi and Mal’s cousin Annette, who had been visiting the island for a couple of days. After a short look around the main town of Oneroa, we set off to Arcadia, a small cafe just back from the beach at one of the island’s prettiest spots, Palm Beach. It was the first of many excellent meals we enjoyed over the next couple of days.

Then it was off to Onetangi Beach where we had a swim and walked Judi’s dogs, Cuzzie and Bro.

Of all the vineyards and restaurants on Waiheke, perhaps the most renowned is Mudbrick. It is easy to see why, with its beautiful location, amazing views and incredible food and wine. We headed up there for dinner before dropping Annette off at the ferry later that night.

This newly married couple looked as if they should be in the vineyard’s marketing materials.

As did this couple who have been married just a little bit longer.

The grounds are quite extensive, with a number of spots to dine or just relax with a glass of wine to enjoy the view.

As the night progressed, the view to Rangitoto and the city beyond was forever changing.

January 16, 2023

In the eighties we lived in Aro Valley, an inner city suburb of Wellington with a decidedly old feel. We decided to walk up from the city and check out our old home and neighborhood.

The thing about Wellington, it is hard to avoid walking up hills. Our home on Maarama Crescent was no different and we both remembered these particular steps that we would have climb at the end of each work day.

It wasn’t the most luxurious neighborhoods back then and it has gentrified somewhat since then. Our home was a two bedroom flat on the bottom floor of a house that stood below the street on a hill that sloped down into Aro Valley. It had received a coat of paint but, apart from that, looked even shabbier than when we lived there. This was our entrance. There were a few less empty beer bottles in our time.

This is the front. It was a nice sunny little flat with a balcony and a view over the valley. The towel is hanging from the window of what was our bedroom. We hasten to add that the lawn was also mowed in our time.

From exploring our old home, we headed down to the shops at the bottom of the hill. The walk down was a lot easier.

In many ways, the Aro Valley shops have not changed since we lived there. There is still a fruit and vegetable store, fish and chip shop and cafe. There is even a video rental store.

From the shops, we could see our old home up on the hill.

From Aro Valley we headed over to Mount Victoria. One of Wellington’s most sought over suburbs, it sits in the sun all day and has incredible views over the city. It also happens to be the suburb where Mal’s parents rented their first place together back in the late forties and early fifties. They had the bottom floor. Here is their home on Shannon Street now.

And here it is back then. It hasn’t changed much.

On the other hand, we are sure the view has changed a lot.

From Mount Victoria, we walked over the hill and down into Oriental Bay where Wellingtonians were making the most of the day and enjoying the beach.

This is one parking space, you would want to be careful reversing into.

Wellington has very cool manhole covers.

From Oriental Bay we walked back around the waterfront to the city, enjoying the sights along the way.

January 15, 2023

Wellington is not well known for its great weather. We lived there for eighteen months back in the eighties and neither of us could remember a day to match the three recent days we spent there, which were all spectacular.

Perched on a sheltered harbor at the bottom of the North Island, Wellington is New Zealand’s capital and its third largest city with a population of over 400,000 in its metropolitan area. It is named after the same Duke of Wellington that defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo. Its Maori name is Te Whanganui-a-Tara which translates as The Great Harbour of Tara. Tara was the son of the Polynesian explorer Whatonga, whose descendants lived in the area.

We started the day exploring the waterfront and the Sunday market.

From there we walked along nearby Cuba Mall, a popular and somewhat quirky shopping street. Lauren used to work on the street but through the fogs of time couldn’t remember exactly where.

We are not sure if Roger would be our choice if we were in the market for a tattoo, seeing as he has spelled it two different ways on his storefront.

We passed by the Flying Nun record store. Flying Nun is a New Zealand independent record label. Started in the eighties, it is home to such iconic indie bands as The Chills, The Clean, The Bats, Straitjacket Fits and The Headless Chickens.

After a mandatory coffee, we headed up to nearby Zealandia.

New Zealand only has two native mammals, both of which are bats. However, it has an abundance of native birds, and New Zealanders are crazy about them. In fact, a common nickname for New Zealanders is kiwi, named for the native bird, not the fruit. Unfortunately, when the Maori and later the Europeans arrived, they brought with them rats, stoats and cats that decimated the bird population. As a result, many native birds are extinct or under severe threat. New Zealand has belatedly responded to this threat by creating bird sanctuaries throughout the country and has an objective of being predator free by 2050. Most of these sanctuaries are on offshore islands which are easier to protect. A rare exception is Zealandia, a 225 hectare (500+ acre) sanctuary just minutes drive from downtown Wellington. The whole reserve is surrounded by a predator fence and is the home of over forty different species of native birds. It is a beautiful place to stroll through the native bush and admire its two beautiful reservoirs.

Among the birds we saw, were a number of Kaka, a boisterous bush parrot.

Zealandia is not just a sanctuary for birds, there are also numerous species of reptiles, including tuataras. Tuataras were around at the time of dinosaurs and are the only living members left of the Rhynchocophalian order. All the others died off about 65 million years ago.

At the top of Zealandia is a high bridge with views of the upper reservoir and down the valley.

It’s also a good spot for a group photo.

From Zealandia, it was a short walk to the top of Wellington’s cable car, which we rode down to Lambton Quay, Wellington’s main shopping street.

January 13, 2023

Today our good friend, John, joined us as we climbed Mangere (pronounced Man-ger-y) Mountain. Mangere is one of Auckland’s largest volcanic peaks, including not just one but two cones. Standing at 106 meters (348 feet) above sea level, it dominates the surrounding neighborhood of the same name. It gets its name from the Maori phrase “hau mangare” meaning “lazy winds”, due to the shelter it provides from the prevailing westerlies. It has two other Maori names, Te Pane-o-Mataaho (the head of Mataaho) and Te Ara Pueru (the path of dog skin cloaks). Mataaho is a Maori god of earthquakes and eruptions and is associated with many of the volcanic features in the Auckland region. Te Ara Pueru, apparently, refers to a historic event that occurred on the mountain prior to European arrival. We are intrigued at what happened at the event but have not been able to find any further information.

At the foot of the mountain is a very nice playground, complete with a colorful basketball court.

Here is the view up the mountain

There were some helpful steps to ease the difficulty of the climb.

Quite a few non-native trees had been felled. A native pohutukawa tree had found a home growing out of this stump.

The stumps also make good places to stand for photos.

Here is the view down into the larger of the two cones.

Here are some more views from the climb.

The remains of the pa (fortified village) that once stood on the mountain are visible in the terraces and the underground storage pits, where the Maori buried kumara (sweet potatoes) to keep them cool and dry.

There is a third crater right next to the mountain that is now a perfectly round lagoon.

Because this is New Zealand, all outings must include a stop at one of the little independent cafes, that are everywhere. This one, called Ruby Red, was in Mangere Bridge, the little township at the foot of the mountain.

January 8, 2023

When we were last in Auckland, we started climbing its volcanic peaks, of which there are quite a few. So far, we have summited Maungakiekie (One Tree Hill), Maungawhau (Mt. Eden), Maungakiekie (Mt. Wellington), Maungauika (North Head), Ohinerau (Mt. Hobson), and Te Kopuke (Mt. St. John). Today, we climbed Owairaka / Te Ahi-ka-a-Rakataura (Mt. Albert).

With an elevation of 135 m (443 ft), Mt. Albert is named for Queen Victoria’s consort, Prince Albert. It also has two Maori names. Owairaka means Place of Wairaka. Wairaka was the daughter of Toroa, the commander of one of the great voyaging canoes (wakas) that first brought the Maori to Aotearoa (New Zealand) from their ancestral home of Hawaiki. Whakatane, a town in New Zealand, gets its name as the place where she saved the tribe’s waka from drifting out to sea. The men had gone ashore and the canoe began to drift out to sea. Women were not allowed to paddle the waka but Wairaka, noticing the adrift canoe sprung into action. Summoning other women, she called out “Kia whakatane au i ahau“ (“I will act like a man”), and together they paddled the waka back to shore.

The other Maori name, Te Ahi-ka-a-Rakataura (The long fires of Rakataura) refers to its long occupation by Rakataura (also known as Hape) another of the legendary Polynesian navigators who led the Maori from Hawaiki to Aotearoa.

Like the other volcanic peaks in the region, Mt. Albert was the home of a Maori pa (fortified village). Many of the earthworks and terraces are still visible. The volcano sits in the middle of the suburb bearing the same name which is represented in parliament by Jacinda Arden, New Zealand’s Prime Minister.

The view from the top.

At the top of Mt. Albert are fields and shady trees.

October 29, 2022

We started the day with breakfast at Gluten-free bakery, Noglu, on Madison Avenue in the Upper East Side.

Despite the sign outside the bakery, Messiah was nowhere to be seen.

From there, we headed over to Frank Lloyd Wright’s classic museum, The Guggenheim. Completed in 1959, it consists primarily of a six-story, bowl shaped main circular gallery.

Over fifty years on, it hasn’t changed too much from when Mal’s parents visited it in the mid-1960s, when it was still relatively new. This is it back then.

And here it is now.

The Museum has an extensive collection of modern art, including these three Picassos

And these two Gauguins

But the main attraction was a massive retrospective of the New York artist Alex Katz who recently turned 95. Here are a sample of his greatest hits.

We love this photo, taken by Kylie.

Directly across the road from the Museum is Central Park, so like much of New York, we decided to take advantage of a perfect Autumn day and go for a stroll in the park.

Across the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir we could see one of New York’s most iconic apartment buildings. The twin towered El Dorado was built between 1929 and 1931 in Art Deco style and is thirty floors high. It has been home of many famous actors and musicians, including Alec Baldwin, Bono, Richard Dreyfuss, Faye Dunaway, Carrie Fisher, Michael J. Fox, Ron Howard, Groucho Marx, Moby, Marilyn Monroe and Bruce Willis.

After spending some time browsing the stores on Madison Avenue, including this beautiful perfume store

we hopped an Uber back down to Greenwich Village, where we wandered through the neighborhood, making our way back to out hotel in Tribeca via Washington Square Park with its iconic Arch. The NYU students were out in full force.

October 28, 2022

On a cool sunny day, we headed up toward The Whitney Museum in the Meatpacking District. Along the way we passed through Greenwich Village, where Jake stopped at Leon’s for a bagel and lox, the quality of which confirmed what New Yorkers always claim, that nowhere else in the world do the bagels compare with those in New York. Apparently, it has something to do with the water here.

Last time we were in NYC it was pre-Covid. Since that time practically all of the restaurants have expanded out into the streets. Many have built covered spaces that often are quite elaborate. We liked this one with its Autumn theme.

As its name suggests, the Meat Packing District was once the home of over 250 slaughterhouses and packing plants. In the 1960s the area began to decline and by the 1980s it had become a center for drug dealing and prostitution. However, in the 1990s the area went through a transformation, attracting high end boutiques, catering to young professionals and hipsters.

It is also home to one of NYC’s newest and best museums. Designed by Renzo Piano and completed in 2015, The Whitney contains a huge collection of modern American art. While we were there, the main attraction was a large exhibit of Edward Hopper’s New York paintings. Many of his paintings are rather voyeuristic, looking through windows at people going about their lives. Staying in New York, we could see where Hopper got the inspiration for his work. Just that morning we looked out from our hotel room and right across the street into an office where a woman and man were working. It was very reminiscent of Hopper’s painting Office at Night, painted in 1940.

Here are some more paintings from the exhibition.

And here is a self-portrait of the artist.

The museum also has some great views over the surrounding neighborhood, The High Line, and the Hudson River.

The Museum sits right across the river from Little Island. Designed by Heatherwick Studio, it opened only last year. The artificial island covers 2.4 acres and is supported by 132 pot shaped structures that look like tulips, standing on concrete pilings of various heights. It has various lawns, gardens and paths as well as an amphitheater. It really is very impressive.

From Little Island we decided to go for a stroll along the High Line, a 1.45 mile long elevated walkway that was once an abandoned elevated railway but now has been extensively planted with gardens and trees. Along the way we passed some interesting but not very private buildings.

We eventually ended up at Hudson Yards, home of a high end Mall and the Shed, a cultural center opened in 2019 that presents a wide range of activities in performing arts, visual arts, and pop culture.

It is also home to the Vessel, an elaborate honeycomb like structure that rises 16 stories and consists of 154 flights of stairs. Unfortunately, not long after it opened in 2019, it began to attract suicides, with four people jumping to their deaths during 2020 and 2021. It is now closed indefinitely.

October 27, 2022

It’s Autumn in New York. It’s good to live it again. Vernon Duke

Jake and Kylie were in NYC for work, so we thought that we would join them for a long weekend. Arriving at our hotel in the late afternoon, we decided to go for a walk through Soho and adjacent Nolita. We passed by iconic restaurant Balthazar, which has been in the news recently after its owner banned late night television host, James Corden, from the restaurant after his abusive conduct toward some of some of its staff.

Since we were in Manhattan last, the city appears to have taken a liking for communal bikes, with bike stands sometimes taking up whole blocks.

For those not up for a bike ride there is always the subway with a station on what seems like most corners.

Or for the real desperate, you can always bring your car, although parking can be a problem.

Since we started coming to NYC years ago, Soho has become a completely different neighborhood with lots of high end retail chains. Neighboring Nolita is more like the old Soho, with quiet streets and parks and small independent boutiques.

Among the trendy boutiques a few of the old stores remain, including this classic old butcher.