Happy New Year. The first day of 2016 is windy and rainy here in Auckland. But up till now we’ve enjoyed sparkling days. This photo was taken from the walkway near Takapuna beach on one such day last week – blue skies and sea contrasting wonderfully with the clouds and blooming pohutukawa. We love being home no matter what the weather’s like and the golden days will return. Hope 2016 is a great year for all of you.
We arrived back at KLIA last night after an 11-hour flight from Auckland. I never enjoy saying good-bye and always think about how long it will take to get back again. We are now so used to arriving at KLIA that we whizzed through the airport, enjoying stretching our legs after the long flight. We caught a taxi to our familiar hotel in Shah Alam where Jim is working today (poor man!) and I am writing this post. Later on I’ll have a swim in the lovely hotel pool, which I’ll have to myself if I time it right. Then early tomorrow we’ll head back to Ipoh and resume our Malaysian lives, fortified by our New Zealand trip and having spent time with our girls, our family and our friends.
Today I walked from Ponsonby in rain, wind and sunshine to the Auckland art gallery. I enjoyed wandering around the various galleries, absorbing art from different eras by artists from New Zealand and further afield. I liked Tony Fomison’s Ponsonby Madonna and the suspended feathers woven by Maureen Lander. But almost more than the art, I enjoyed the building with its various levels and the light from windows that look out over the street or adjacent Albert Park. I had a coffee in the cafe and watched students walking through the park and thought of my daughters (one presently at Auckland uni and the other a graduate). They love(d) passing the grumpy Queen Victoria statue and the fountain on their way to and from classes. I retraced my steps to Ponsonby, crossing the motorway on the Hopetoun bridge. Looking one way, I saw a rainbow over Mount Eden and the other way, the sun glinting on the harbour bridge. I stopped in Western Park to take off my raincoat and walked the rest of the way in warm sunshine. One more little treat was a clutch of beautiful brown chooks pecking at the grass beside the footpath on the road that I’m presently living in – an amazing sight in the middle of the city!
I walked (or sauntered) down Ponsonby Road yesterday. I was reduced to ambling because there was so much to look at – huge old trees getting ready to drop their leaves, intriguing shop windows, people sitting outside cafes drinking coffee, the facades of beautiful buildings, and glimpses of the Auckland city skyline dominated by the Sky Tower. I got to the end of Ponsonby Road and carried on down St Mary’s Road to be greeted by a view similar to that in the photo above. There was the harbour bridge with its eight lanes of busy traffic and the blue harbour shining in the sun. I stopped dead and marvelled. All around me, people on foot, riding bicycles and driving cars went about their business. They are used to the spectacular surroundings but I am not after living in Ipoh for over a year and I intend to make the most of it.
It was a beautiful blue-sky day in Auckland today. I walked along the Remuera ridge into Newmarket. All along the route I caught glimpses of the harbour – the sea glinting in the sunlight and the white sails of scores of boats vivid against the blue. I sat at a pavement table outside a cafe with the tantalising smell of coffee all around. I wandered in and out of shops, not looking for anything in particular, but feasting my eyes on the lovely things for sale – books, stationery, shoes, china, glass. Shop assistants were friendly and helpful though I wasn’t actually shopping. Then I ambled back the way I had come, revelling in the mild warmth of the sun and the shade of Remuera’s huge old trees.
By the end of this week, I’ll be back in Godzone! People here ask me what the weather will be like and their most common question is “Will it be cold?” I know it will be cold compared with Malaysia but that doesn’t bother me at all. I’m looking forward to going for a walk at any time of the day without melting in the heat, like you do in Ipoh if you go out any later than 7am. I’ve already packed my raincoat! I’m looking forward to the smell of the sea, the green of the countryside, the aroma of coffee outside cafes, the smiles on the faces of my friends, but more than all that, I’m looking forward to seeing our girls! Only four more sleeps.
I have written about Cornwall Park and One Tree Hill before in this blog. The last time I walked through the park during a spring storm but today I walked right round it on the most beautiful summer’s day. The sheep were resting in the shade of the trees and dense foliage completely shaded Twin Oaks Drive. There were families picnicking, children climbing trees, a bride and groom having their photos taken, people playing volleyball and petanque. I skirted the Cornwall cricket club grounds where there were two spirited games on the go – at last a decent summer for cricketers! I climbed to the summit and marvelled at the clear blue sky and the views out to Rangitoto, the Waitakeres and Mangere Mountain. I saw a Chinese visitor spreading his arms and talking excitedly to his companions – I’m sure he was saying “Look at this. Isn’t it wonderful!”
I know its charms are enhanced at present by the long run of beautiful summer days and the reduced traffic over the holidays, but I love Auckland! Despite being in the heart of suburbia, all I can see from the living room window is trees and all day long I hear birdsong. I’ve been walking a lot and enjoying the glimpses of blue sea and green volcanic hills along the various routes I have taken. When I pause at a pedestrian crossing, the traffic actually stops for me (in Ipoh, drivers speed up when they see you approaching!) I like the friendliness of cafe waiters who bring my coffee, shop assistants who ask how my day is going, people I pass on the footpath who smile hello. I guess you could say I’m having a wonderful time!
We have received so much generosity from family and friends since we’ve been back in New Zealand – from comfortable accommodation and delicious meals to meeting for a coffee or lunch and a catch-up chat. We’ve travelled around from Awhitu to Auckland to Ohaupo to Raglan and back to Auckland, all in superb summer weather. We’ve experienced kindness from Kiwis we had not previously met. Like Lois who runs the Pollok gallery and cafe – she made us coffees and while we enjoyed them in the courtyard, she sat and chatted like we were old friends. Like the woman who came across me sitting on a bench overlooking Manu Bay where Jim was out in the surf. She asked if I was OK and after I’d reassured her, she told me that she often meets people up there who are lonely and not OK and she takes them into town for a coffee. How amazing is she! You’re probably wondering about the kitten in the denuded Christmas tree in the photo above. She belongs to our friends in whose lovely home we stayed last weekend. She crawled into my arms, sleepy and purring, at the end of a perfect day.
Happy New Year to all the readers of my blog. Thank you for keeping in touch via the blog and using other online means – it has made my first year living away from New Zealand less alienating. We spent New Year’s Eve on the Auckland waterfront with our children and so 2015 got off to a good start. Hope you had similar happy celebrations. All the very best to all of you!
Travels from New Zealand 