Mal and Lauren

May 20-21, 2021

In our last post we were climbing Mt. Wellington. In this post we are actually in Wellington, New Zealand’s capital. Arriving after a short flight from Auckland, we went for a stroll along the streets that we walked over thirty years ago when we were both fresh out of university and working for the New Zealand Government. With a population of just over 200,000, Wellington is much smaller than Auckland. But with its narrow streets of tall buildings nestled between the hills and the harbour, in some ways it seems more of a city than Auckland.

On the next day we were joined by our dear friends (and Wellington residents) Marcus and Vasu for a walk by Parliament and along the waterfront. The New Zealand Parliament buildings consist of the Edwardian neoclassical Parliament House, the executive wing (known commonly, for readily apparent reasons, as the Beehive) and the Parliamentary Library.

Sitting directly behind Parliament is the Bowen State Building where Mal used to work at the Ministry of Commerce. It has been extensively renovated and is unrecognizable from the building where he worked. It is now the nerve center of the country’s security and defense systems with its primary tenant being the New Zealand Defence Force.

Walking by this side entrance to the Beehive, Mal was reminded of the time that he delivered a report to the Deputy Prime Minister. He remembers the security guard just inside the entrance with his feet up on a desk, waving him through as he barely looked up from the book he was reading, which happened to be ‘The Communist Manifesto’. Then Mal, accidentally, took a wrong turn and found himself alone in the Deputy Prime Minister’s personal office. He was still determining what to do when the Deputy PM, himself, walked in. He, understandably, wondered what this stranger was doing standing in his office but, surprisingly, didn’t seem overly concerned. Times were a lot more innocent back then.

From Parliament, we walked along the Wellington waterfront toward the Museum of New Zealand, commonly called Te Papa (Maori for ‘our place’). Its full name is actually Te Papa Tongarewa, meaning ‘Container of Treasures’. Opened in 1998, it is an impressive and very interactive museum.

If you visit Te Papa, make sure you get to the top floor where they have a collection of New Zealand art, including a gallery dedicated to the works of Colin McCahon. Living from 1919 to 1987, McCahon is regarded as New Zealand’s most important modern artist. Although he is most well known for his landscapes, many of the paintings also have religious themes. A prime example are the three paintings hanging in Te Papa that depict scenes from the Bible in a New Zealand landscape. Originally shown in 1948, audiences were shocked by the flat way that the figures were painted, the thick black outlines, and the use of text. McCahon, who wanted his work to speak directly and clearly to its audience, was influenced by sign writers and comic strips. The speech bubble in ‘King of the Jews’ was borrowed from a soap advertisement.

May 19, 2021

We have been on a quest to summit all of the great peaks of Auckland. So far we have climbed One Tree Hill (Maungakiekie), Mt. Eden (Maungawhau), Mt. Hobson (Ohinerau) and North Head (Maungauika). Today, we climbed Mt. Wellington (Maungarei). It is the youngest onshore volcano of the Auckland region, having formed just 10,000 years ago.

From the top of Mt. Wellington, it is easy to see just how close the west and east coasts of the North Island of New Zealand come to meeting in Auckland. At the bottom left of the following photo you can see inlets from the Waitemata Harbour that lies on the east side of the island on the Pacific Ocean. At the top right just below the horizon you can see part of the Manukau Harbour that is on the west side of the island on the Tasman Sea. It made us wonder why a canal has never been built to join the two. It couldn’t be more than a mile or so between them.

Previously, during our Auckland walks we have come across quarries that have been turned into playing fields and gardens. Today we came across a whole neighborhood. When we lived in Auckland in the eighties, Stonefields was a large discontinued quarry, infamous for its packs of wild dogs. But over the last twenty of so years, the quarry has been repurposed as part of a massive development and is now home to about 5,000 people.

May 13, 2021

From the hustle and bustle of downtown Auckland, it’s just a short ferry ride across the harbour to the laid-back suburb of Devonport. There has not been the same amount of development there as in many other parts of Auckland and many of the original villas and bungalows remain. In a way it feels as if you are stepping back in time to the Auckland of last century. It also happens to be the neighborhood where kiwi pop icon, Lorde, was raised.

We went for a walk along the coast toward North Head (Maungauika) a volcano that forms a headland with spectacular 360 degree views of the city and harbour.

Here are some of the views from the top of North Head.

We liked these painted furls.

Because of its prime location, North Head has, in the past, been used to provide defenses for the city. There are still remains of some of the fortifications and a wooden barracks at the very top.

These canons were being climbed by some children. Which seemed to us to be a far better use for them than their original purpose.

We then walked down to Cheltenham Beach. It is quieter than Auckland’s other beaches and more of the older homes have survived. Even the newer ones were more traditional in design, unlike the glass and concrete modern homes that are common along the other beaches

We then walked back through Devonport to the main shopping area by the pier. Here is a sample of the typical houses that we passed along the way.

And here are some of the older buildings in the main shopping area. In New Zealand it is common to see old banks and government buildings repurposed to become restaurants, cafes or bars.

In our last blog post we featured a pohutukawa tree clinging to a wall. Today we came across another unusual tree. This Morton Bay Fig is over 100 years old and is affectionately known as “Old Albert”. Like any old man, it was in need of a little extra support to stay upright. Ingeniously, it appeared to have grown supports extending from its branches down into the ground. It wasn’t something that we had ever seen before.

Back at the pier, while waiting for the ferry, we saw this beautiful sailing boat pass by.

And then it was time to head back to the city, where the sky tower seemed to be blowing clouds into the air.

May 12, 2021

Today we circumnavigated Mt. Eden (Maungawhau), taking the streets surrounding the volcano. With their larger houses and established trees, the neighborhoods reminded us of some of the Washington DC neighborhoods that we have explored.

One of the largest of the houses is Tibbs House, a boarding establishment for boys attending neighboring Auckland Grammar. About 120 students currently live in the house and surrounding buildings.

We came across this amazing pohutukawa tree clinging to a retaining wall. It is incredible where pohutukawas can grow. It is not uncommon to see them clinging to the sides of steep oceanside cliffs where you wouldn’t believe any plant, let alone a large tree, could survive.

Because it is a volcanic region, most of the stone walls in Auckland, like the one the tree was clinging to, are built of scoria, a type of volcanic rock. Many of the volcanos have abandoned quarries dug into their side and Maungawhau is no exception. For example, the lower fields of Auckland Grammar, located next to the mountain, are in the site of a former quarry.

Now the fields are artificial but in Mal’s day they were still grass. Because they were laid on top of stone there was no drainage and on rainy days playing rugby on the fields was not too dissimilar to playing in a rice paddy.

Another abandoned quarry on the slopes of Maungawhau is now the site of beautiful Eden Garden. With over five acres of mature trees and flowering shrubs, the feel is of walking through a rainforest. It is an idyllic place to wander the shady paths or sit on one of the many benches.

May 10, 2021

On a drizzly day we walked downtown to the Aotea Centre to pick up some tickets for the upcoming Auckland Writers Festival. The Centre is Auckland’s largest performing arts and events venue. Opened in 1990, it is not a particularly loved building. First, due to poor acoustics, the main auditorium required a refit just five years after it opened. Then in 2012, the whole building underwent refurbishment. As we passed it appeared to be undergoing even more work. The Sydney Opera House it is not!

Across the square from the Aotea Centre is the Auckland Town Hall. Built in 1909, this Italian Renaissance Revival building is another popular entertainment venue and is the home of Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra. Back in the 1930s, Mal’s father, uncle and aunt performed there on a number of occasions in humorous skits written by their mother that were broadcasted live over the radio as part of a popular variety show.

Just down Queen Street from the Town Hall is the Civic Theatre, one of the last remaining ‘atmospheric’ theatres in the Southern Hemisphere. It is now mainly used for live performances, but when it opened in 1929 it was as a movie theatre. We were lucky enough to see a number of movies there back in the eighties. It is, without doubt, the most beautiful movie theatre we have experienced. Sitting in the theatre, we were surrounded by beautiful colorful Moorish turrets, minarets and spires that remained dimly lit during the movie. On either side of the screen lay two massive golden Abyssinian Panthers whose eyes shone bright red when the lights went down. The ceiling was filled with thousands of lights that twinkled like stars. The overall effect was of enjoying the show on a beautiful star filled night in a Moorish garden.

This part of downtown caters more and more to the many Asian students that study at Auckland University just up the hill. There are stores from all over Asia, including this one from Korea.

One classic Kiwi store that has remained is Smith & Caughey’s, New Zealand’s sole-surviving family-owned department store.

Next to the department store is a beautiful arcade.

That leads from Queen Street to the quieter and prettier Elliott Street.

During the walk we passed two classic British automobiles.

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.

May 4, 2021

On a beautiful sunny morning we set out east from downtown along Tamaki Drive toward the inner city suburb of Parnell. Along the way we passed the Port of Auckland, New Zealand’s largest port. The three large cranes visible in the distance are a recent addition, costing $20 million a piece. Each is capable of handling four large containers at a time.

Across Tamaki Drive from the Port are the railway tracks that run in to Britomart Station at the bottom of Queen Street. We came across this train enthusiast.

We then headed up into Dove Myer Robinson Park. Commonly known as Robbie, Robinson was Auckland’s longest serving mayor, serving two terms from 1959-65 and from 1968-1980. He is one of several Jewish Auckland mayors, although he rejected Judaism as a teenager and became a lifelong atheist. Walking through the park we came across a number of tents pitched on a beautiful slope overlooking the harbor.

Our first impression was that it was a homeless encampment. We were surprised because, although such encampments are not an uncommon sight in Washington DC, we had not come across any in Auckland. But as we passed by we struck up a conversation with one of its inhabitants, Annie, who told us that the tents were there to stop the building of a large memorial to the Mt. Erebus disaster.

In 1979, Air New Zealand Flight 901 flew into Mount Erebus in the Antarctic killing all 237 passengers and 20 crew on board. Air New Zealand had been operating scheduled Antarctic sightseeing flights since 1977. The initial investigation concluded the accident was caused by pilot error, but public outcry led to the establishment of a Royal Commission. That Commission concluded that the accident was caused by a correction made to the coordinates of the flight path the night before the disaster, coupled with a failure to inform the flight crew of the change.

The protesters are not opposed to the idea of a memorial as such, although Annie pointed out that there are already numerous Erebus Disaster memorials in New Zealand. Rather, they are opposed to the large scale of the proposed memorial placed in the middle of a beautiful park, which also may lead to the loss of Auckland’s largest pohutukawa tree, which stands on the site.

The camp was nicely appointed including a living area, complete with couch and beautiful photo of the endangered pohutukawa tree.

We continued on through the park down into Judges Bay. The bay is named for two early administrators of British Justice, Judge Martin and Attorney General Swainson, who lived in the bay in the 1840s. It is now separated from the harbor by the Tamaki Drive causeway.

Sitting alongside the Bay are the Parnell Baths. Public swimming pools in New Zealand are often called baths. Built in 1950, in modernist design, the baths are a popular attraction during the Summer but were closed for the winter when we passed.

We then walked up and along St. Stephens Avenue, one of Auckland’s most prestigious residential streets. On the east side of the avenue, the houses sit on a cliff overlooking Hobson Bay. Perhaps because of their location, many of the original homes have been replaced with modern homes to better take advantage of the view.

Whereas, on the western side of the Avenue, many of the older homes remain.

We passed by what may be Auckland’s smallest and largest churches. St. Stephen’s Chapel and surrounding graveyard date back to the 1850s. The chapel was built specifically for the signing of the constitution of the United Church of England and Ireland in New Zealand.

At the other end of the Avenue is the Anglican Holy Trinity Cathedral which was built in the 1990s and can hold over 1,200 people.

We finished up by walking down Parnell Road, the suburb’s main shopping street. This used to be one of Auckland’s premier retail and dining streets but it is much quieter today as Ponsonby Road and Britomart have become increasingly more popular. It has also been negatively impacted by Covid, as it was a popular tourist destination.

May 3, 2021

Paritai Drive, in the suburb of Orakei, is one of Auckland’s most exclusive addresses. The Drive follows around a point with expansive views of the harbor. The houses come in all shapes, styles and ages but only one size, extra large.

Dwarfing its already large neighbors is one of New Zealand’s most expensive houses. Taking up three lots, it has a tennis court, indoor and outdoor pools, parking for twelve cars and seven bedrooms. It is hard to see from the photo just how big it is, but take our word for it, it is truly enormous. When it last changed hands it was for the princely sum of 39 million dollars.

Here are some of the views that make the address so desirable.

For some reason, it seems to be the practice in New Zealand to cover houses that are being built or renovated with plastic. We can only hope that it is reused, or at a minimum, recycled.

In the neighborhood behind Paritai Drive, the houses are generally less grand but no less interesting.

There were also some cool small apartment buildings.

The eastern end of Paritai Drive overlooks Okahu Bay. The name comes from the Maori, Okahu, meaning “the home of Kahu”. It was once the site of the home village of the Ngati Whatua iwi (tribe). However, in 1952, the Auckland City Council, deeming the village “a dreadful eyesore and potential disease center”, relocated the residents and razed the village. The move was, probably, precipitated by Elizabeth II’s royal tour of later that year. Today it is a popular bay where you can rent outrigger kayaks.

Go for a run

Or just sit and enjoy the view.

Across Tamaki Drive from the beach is a large sports ground used for cricket and rugby. There is also an adventure playground, complete with thatched roof.

The village may be gone but the Maori cemetery remains.

At the eastern edge of the bay is Kelly Tarlton’s Sea Life Aquarium. The aquarium is located below ground and, ingeniously, has been repurposed from no longer used storm water and sewage tanks. It holds over 1,500 fish, including stingrays and sharks. There is also a colony of king penguins and gentoo penguins.

April 29, 2021

On a beautiful early Autumn day we went for a walk around neighboring Grey Lynn. In many ways it is similar to our own neighborhood of Freeman’s Bay with lots of white wooden cottages and villas.

But there are also a variety of other types of houses, including this Spanish style home.

And these two that were less than welcoming.

Although most of Auckland’s villas and cottages are made of wood, there are exceptions.

Another difference between Grey Lynn and the neighboring suburbs is the number of tree lined streets. At times we could almost have been back in Washington DC.

A friend of ours, visiting from the States, once described Auckland not so much as a city than as a series of villages. Certainly, each suburb appears to have its own little Main Street. Grey Lynn is no exception.

This home welcomed passers by to enjoy its colorful deck and swing.

And this one offered free reading material and tapes. We often come across little lending libraries outside homes in DC. This was the first that we have seen in New Zealand.

April 26, 2021

Our niece, Debbie, joined us on a visit to the Sculptureum. Just outside of Matakana, it is the home of some of the most beautiful palms and weirdest sculptures you are likely to find anywhere. With giant green rabbits, pink snails and multi-colored meerkats, this is not a place to visit under the influence of psychedelics.

The most disturbing were perhaps the sculptures of humans with animal heads.