With nearly two months to enjoy it and with jet lag still nipping at our heels, it has been a slow start. But that hasn't stopped us finding time for a couple of outings, most importantly to find my old mate Jones! Last seen in Sydney nearly 5 years ago, it actually feels like I saw him last week. The details have been shared before but essentially a "fancy a pint?" inquiry at the end of a rugby coaching course sometime in 1983 has led to a lifelong friendship that I sincerely hope never ends, until one of us shuffles off this mortal coil (which I hope is a long way off yet). 40 years and going strong. Gareth and Sue have lived here for the last 27 years and I don't see them as often as I would like, but over the last few years we have managed India, Australia and of course UK. Gareth Jones is, surprisingly, Welsh, but he's still quite a nice bloke 😉, and returns to see his old mum in Aberystwyth as often as he can. Covid has of course made that very hard recently and he will be making his first trip in 6 years just after we leave New Zealand. Cue, more beers back in Blighty , no doubt! So that is a long winded way of saying it was about time we caught up in his adopted home territory. And here we are. Daft as we always have been and without a drink inside us. But, it being our respective birthdays in the next two weeks, I don't expect the dryness to last. We head to Mangawhai at the end of next week, for mine, and they will return the favour the following one for Gareth's. What could possibly go wrong? Your dogged and determined correspondent will doubtless overcome any adversity to let you know!
After the summer New Zealand has experienced - deluge followed by cyclone, repeat - Sue requested that we brought summer with us from the UK. Remarkably this is what we appear to have done, it being a rather balmy 26ºC, sunny and virtually windless. Perfect for walking barefoot on the gorgeous sandy beaches of the North Shore - relaxing, and excellent physio for my newly repaired broken foot! Here we are at Orewa, just about half an hour's drive north of our "home", walking off our lunch.
Unfortunately we seem to have left the UK with a return to winter, for which we convey our heartfelt apologies, especially to Craig and Colleen. We hope you packed your thermals! On the bright side your weather in the UK can only get better, whilst ours will presumably cool.
Other than our daily wander to our local village for coffee and/or beer our other trip out has been to Devonport (presumably named after the one in Plymouth? - I know I should have checked!), a rather charming town (village?) on the north side of Auckland Harbour with views of, and ferry services to, the CBD - that's Central Business District for those of you not Kiwis. I've already got all the lingo!
Was there a coffee stop? What do you think?
We haven't yet taken the ferry over but I am sure it is only a matter of time. In the meantime we managed a rather peaceful and gentle tour of the heritage walk, and committed to attending the Art Deco cinema before too long - one of our "must dos" on any trip. Think we have time!
He looks happy - and a bit stupid!
So that is it for the last couple of days. Tomorrow our friend Michelle who has been in NZ and Australia for the last month saves the best of her trip to last, by coming to spend her last few days with us (😂), before returning to Vancouver. I've actually known Mich, longer than Gareth, since meeting her backpacking in Thailand in 1982. However Michelle and I have never formed an impregnable football centre back pairing modelled on Tony Adams and Franz Beckenbauer, unlike Jones and I. And I'm sure those old "glories" will be relived, once I have a few pints of his lethal home brew inside me. As will the memorable back line of Cohen, Charlton, Moore & Wilson - aka Hilborne, Jones, Macgregor and Browett. Good times, eh boys?! 😂
Last few pics...
Is it a bird? On Devonport wharf. Not my favourite sculpture ever. Was it erected by scaffolders on a day off?
Tempting - almost. Now, how about hiring a nice big BMW for a few days?
In a park in Devonport. Nice tree. Banyan?
This morning's sunrise from our deck. That's it for now.
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