Mal and Lauren

January 15, 2024

Arrowtown is a small historic town situated on the banks of the Arrow River, about 20kms (17.5 miles) from Queenstown. It began life in 1862 when Jack Tewa, known locally as Maori Jack, found gold in the Arrow River. Soon a township of over 1,000 miners sprang up that would eventually rise to over 7,000 at the height of the gold rush.

Now the town mainly caters to tourists, with its quaint old buildings, housing shops and restaurants.

Among the miners were a large number of Chinese, who, shunned by the locals, were forced to live in small huts along Bush Creek. Some of the original huts have been recreated. It’s hard to contemplate how harsh the conditions were for these men, especially during the bitter Otago winters.

Classic car of the day was this Holden Kingswood station wagon. These Australian cars were common throughout New Zealand during the 1970s. Unfortunately, they stopped manufacturing them in 1984.

On the way home, we drove up Coronet Peak, one of the local ski areas. The view was spectacular.

Because this is New Zealand, where safety seldom appears to be a concern, the parking lot had no barrier between the cars and the steep drop down the mountain. It was great for looking at the view but we were extra careful that we were in reverse when we pulled out of the spot.

Back in the neighborhood where we were staying, we noticed that the mail boxes were all in one spot, which undoubtedly made life easier for the local postie (kiwi for postal worker). We liked the ingenuity of some of the home owners in creating mail boxes that reflect their interests.

January 14, 2024

Neither of us are foodies, so we had no prior experience of dining at a truly high end restaurant. The type of restaurant where it takes five hours to eat nineteen courses (no exaggeration). Amisfield was named New Zealand’s top restaurant in 2023, and based on our experience it is easy to see why. Along with Mike (our nephew), Ben (our son) and Taylor (Ben’s girlfriend), we were seated in a semi-private room above the main dining area. 

If you are a vegetarian, this is not the restaurant for you.  During the evening, we sampled fish, shellfish, eel, lamb, duck, venison and elk. Most of the food was locally sourced and the presentation was often spectacular. The servings were all small but quickly added up as the night progressed. Often the food was disguised to look like something else. For example, this looks like a tropical plant but the flowers were actually a type of tomato salad on a cracker.

And the stones beside this bread are actually butter.

Sometimes, the dishes looked more offputting than they actually were. This may look like a bloody deer horn, but it is actually sculpted ice cream in a beet sauce. The ice cream was made from deer milk which apparently has a higher fat content than cow’s milk but is a lot more dangerous to obtain (deer have a tendency to kick).

A couple of times during the evening we were ushered outside. Once to sit by the barbecue where the meat was being grilled.

And once to a little glass house, where the sounds of the forest were being piped in. We ate a sorbet that was hidden among a little mossy tabletop garden. The sorbet was made from the leaves of a kawakawa tree. Kawakawa is a native tree that has long been used by maori for its numbing qualities. They would chew on it when they had toothaches. We did notice our lips getting a little numb.

As the clock passed eleven, we finally finished our last dish, which if our memory serves us correctly was ice cream made out of liver and fudge sculpted to look exactly like a huhu grub. It was certainly a night to remember.

December 20, 2023

Back in Point Chev, we once again admired the solidly built state houses that take up most of the neighborhood. In the 1930s and 1940s, the Labour Government set out to build thousands of homes for those on low incomes. The standard of materials and construction was high because the government was determined that the houses would not become slums. They are primarily stand alone homes made of wood or brick with large yards to grow gardens. They were constructed using over 400 designs, so no two houses in a given area were identical. Over 80 years later, most of the homes are still in excellent condition. We cannot imagine a government today going to the same expense in building public housing. Here are a sampling of some of the homes. You’ll notice, however, some homes have been up-dated.

Not all of the homes are state homes. Because of the large lots, there is now a lot of infill housing, with newer residences built in the backyards of the original homes. There were also some original deco style homes.

We even came across a street that appeared to have been developed at a later stage with larger homes.

There is also an enormous retirement community in the neighborhood called Selwyn Village. Covering everything from independent living to residential to hospital care, the community looked immaculate.

Down below the Village is a pretty park, overlooking the inner harbor and the distant humming northwest motorway. We have been impressed by the number of well kept boardwalks that we have come across winding through native forest and over marshland along the city’s shoreline.

Our classic vehicle of the day is this bright yellow VW Kombi.

You can always tell in New Zealand when Christmas is near because the pohutukawa and jacaranda trees are in bloom.

But for those who needed a reminder, there was this helpful flag waving over one home.

In Auckland every neighborhood has at least one cute little bistro or cafe serving excellent coffee, fresh food and home baked goods. Point Chev is no exception, so we stopped into the aptly named Ambler for avocado on toast, cappuccino and a long black (the New Zealand equivalent of an americano but stronger).

December 12, 2023

Accompanied by our cousin, Annette, we returned to the streets of Point Chev. Here are some of the traditional houses we saw along the way.

Generally, we have found the newer houses in the neighborhood to be less inspiring. One exception, however, are a number of houses that we have come across by architect, Guy Tarrant. Unusually, for new homes in Auckland, he often uses red brick. That, and his use of high windows, reminded us quite a lot of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Usonian homes. Today, we passed by the architect’s own home, which won the New Zealand Institute of Architects prize for best home in 2017.

It, definitely, was not a day to lie out on the beach and work on our tans. However, it was still beautiful down on the beach.

December 9, 2023

Point Chevalier, or Point Chev, as it is commonly known, is an Auckland suburb about three miles west of the city center. The suburb was originally a working-class area but now is solidly middle class. Like many Auckland suburbs, the original homes had large quarter acre sections. These sections were large enough, that there has been a lot of infill housing (i.e. second homes built on the yards of the original homes. The result is a mix of the original California bungalows and newer homes.

As its name suggests, Point Chev does, in fact, occupy a point. At the end of the point is beautiful Coyle Park which sits high on the point with beautiful views over the harbour. On a sunny Saturday, everyone was out and enjoying the weather, after a few days of rain.

We walked down from the park to the harbour side where a lone fisherman had found a great spot.

One of the best things we have found from creating this and our other blog (walkingthedistrict.com) are the discoveries that we would not have otherwise made. As a case in point, despite the fact that we have lived on and off in Auckland for many years, neither of us had ever been to Point Chev. We were, therefore, unaware that it is home to one of Auckland’s more beautiful beaches. Like the park, many people were out enjoying the sunny day and getting in their first swims and a little sunbathing.

Sometimes called the New Zealand Christmas trees, because of the timing and color of their blossoms, the pohutukawas lining the beach were just starting to come out in bloom.

November 28, 2023

Our dear cousin, Annette, led us on a tour through her neighborhood, Westmere. We started walking through the neighborhood’s streets, where, like most Auckland suburbs, there is a vibrant mix of older and newer homes.

We then walked down into a trail that winds around the harbor and through some marshland.

Automobile of the day is this ute. For our non-antipodean readers, a ute is short for utility vehicle. Back when Mal was growing up in New Zealand, there weren’t any pickup trucks. Rather there were utes, which were basically, a station wagon with the top cut off. This is a newer more spruced up version.

November 25, 2023

Matakana is a picturesque little village about an hour’s drive north of Auckland. Matakana is generally translated from the maori as meaning ‘distrustful’ or ‘watchful’. More specifically, mata means face and kanakana is an expression made by bulging the eyes and tongue to intimidate. It is the expression the All Blacks make when performing the Haka before rugby games. Matakana was originally the name of a pa (fortified village) at the mouth of the Mahurangi river. Despite the fact that the pa was not particularly close by, Pakeha (European New Zealanders) apparently borrowed the name when naming the river and village that stands on it.

On Saturday mornings, there is a bustling market that is well worth a visit.

The village sits directly on a river which is resident to a large number of eels. This one was on the lookout for a feed.

There were some cool English vintage cars on hand and one not so vintage American one.

Just outside the village is the Morris and James pottery studio / workshop. We dropped by after the market.

Matakana is a big oyster farming area, so we picked up a fresh dozen at this roadside shop. The oyster enthusiasts in the group declared them to be particularly fresh and delicious.

November 23, 2023

Kohimarama, commonly known simply as Kohi (pronounced koey) is a coastal residential suburb of about 4,400 residents that centers around a beautiful beach and a large park. In maori, Kohimarama, apparently refers to the gathering of the scattered wood chips that are left from the carving of waka (canoes).

After a delicious lunch at the Kohi Cafe, we decided to go for a stroll. We started by heading along Kohi beach.

Before heading inland to explore the suburb and its wide variety of houses.

Finally we headed into Madill,s Farm Recreation Reserve with its wide open playing fields.

November 16, 2023

On a beautiful point overlooking Narrow Neck Beach on Auckland’s north shore, we visited a large sculpture show, raising funds for Women’s Refuge. With over 130 works by 100 artists, it was a spectacular show to visit on a beautiful sunny day. Here are some of the stunning works.

The most powerful and moving installation, by far, was called and then they kissed me, by Turtle Sarten and Bernie Harfleet. It consisted of a number of rooms in an old bunker, each of which contained a devastating statement on domestic violence. According to a sign posted outside the installation, police in New Zealand receive 480 family harm calls each day (that’s one every three minutes). In 2022, police attended 175,573 family harm incidents in New Zealand. On average 14 women are killed each year and a child is killed every 5 weeks.

These pieces of furniture had carved into them common statements made by abusers. When you looked into the mirror you could see the abused victim’s truth.

Each of the medallions in the following photo represented a woman killed in incidents of domestic violence. Each of the kiwis represented a child killed in acts of domestic violence. There were many more not visible in the photo.

Please consider making a donation to Women’s Refuge at womensrefuge.org.nz

November 7, 2023

In September of 1967, Mal and his family took The Queen Mary across the Atlantic from New York City to Southampton, England, on one of the iconic ship’s final voyages. Soon after, it was retired from service and entered into its new life as a hotel in Long Beach, California. Fifty six years after he last stepped on board, Mal went for a visit, along with our daughter-in-law, Kylie. This is Mal on board back then (in bow tie).

And this is Mal on board now.

At an overall length of 310.7 meters and a weight of 81,237 tons, The Queen Mary held 2,140 passengers and 1,100 crew. That might seem big but it doesn’t compare to today’s largest cruise ships. The Wonder of the Seas, for example, is 362 meters long, weighs 236,857 tons and holds up to 6,988 passengers. Here is the actual Queen Mary.

And here is the lego version, which just happens to be the world’s longest lego model of a ship. At 25’11” long, it is made of approximately 250,000 bricks.

We walked the decks

And the beautiful wood paneled halls.

We visited the Bridge

And the Captain’s cabin which was tucked in behind the Bridge. Not his main cabin, which we expect would be much fancier. This is the one he used in potentially dangerous seas where his leadership might be urgently needed.

We played a little shuffleboard

Spoke on the phone.

Checked out the bar

And, finally, the engine room.

Special thanks to Kylie for indulging Mal on his trip down memory lane.