Looking west from Mt Victoria in Devonport

Not all fish and chips are created equal

On someone else's recommendation I visited the fish and chip shop at Kaukapakapa "Shark n' Tatties"
not disappointed. They have a small seating area along side - use it fish and chips is best eaten straight away when its crunchy and delicious .........

Takapuna Beach

Dixie Browns Devonport

Very convivial court yard out the back with a gas fire 

The end of an era.

Last week I had another work trip to Wellington, source of many blogs in the past. Everything from Eggs Benedict at the West Plaza to the Cable Car and points between.

However with something  over 200 return trips there in the last two decades I shall henceforth be spared the relatively unproductive six hours of travel each one represents as the regional branches of my team (crash analysis) have been restructured out of existence and replaced by one team of brand new people in Wellington. Zero experience vrs over 200 combined years, strategically risky on so many levels that's for sure but certainly cheaper.

I'm taking what my accountant describes as a "gardening break" before reinventing myself and finding a new outlet for my passion for road safety via crash analysis which has kept me enthusiastic for 43 very interesting years.

In the mean time and one last time, Wellington, place I went to high school,  place of tertiary education, where I got my first job, first girlfriend, first car, first flat, first stereo and first LP. Very hard to beat on a good day as they say ....

A grey and gloomy day in Wellington as our new CE delivers a plan for a long overdue restructure across the whole organisation - welcome to my world. 

Cable car tunnel - when I was a student I had a Postie run that started with a trip up the cable car and ended back at the bottom having dropped off 30 bags of mail,  come rain or shine, hot or cold. There were some lovely old seniors along the route who would leave me ice cold drinks in the mail box - back then who would hesitate to drink them ? I'm sure they are all deceased but where ever you are thank you so much :) 

Building opposite my old place of work

Growing by the day, a thousand and one uses for stick-it notes

From the Chinese bakery in High Street Auckland City

This is what is known as "fresh raw chocolate" in Hong Kong and because I don't know what raw chocolate is like except in the form of coco powder which is largely inedible I was curious.

This is definitely "delicate" in a fluffy,  creamy, sweet "I could eat a kilogram of this without blinking" kind of way but "raw" chocolate, probably not.

Queen Street in a misty morning

Cave at Whatipu

Not too long a walk from the carpark at the end of the road, maybe 15 or 20mins there is a really decent sized wave cut cave at the bottom of what was once the sea coast cliff.

Also some really interesting exposed stone formations for the geologists. Its been a long while for me since I studied such things but I always find them so interesting.

Auckland City at dawn

Whatipu

At Whatipu - just 40m from Auckland CBD

A chair and table at Huia - not far from the Cafe

Getting too dark now for those sunrises on my way to work

Near Lake Ohau in the Mackenzie Country

Photo by Mum

Another of those sunrises

I never get sick of these ....

My Dad when he got much older used to answer that banal "how are you today sir ?" from checkout operators with a breezy "well, I woke up and considered that an excellent start".

These sunrises remind me of him and that thinking.

Find of the weekend - Puhoi Cottage tearooms

I came here once in the 1990's - maybe the same family owns it but really nice setting the best Earl Grey tea (Paris) - and plenty of it - I've had in years and a mountainous scone fresh out of the oven - highly recommended

Devonshire tea for one and a flat white - $15

Feijoa

This time of the year is Feijoa time - these fruit don't keep so they either get eaten or turned into some thing else eg cake, jam, pickle .....and i have had an amazing apple and feijoa crumble.

These thanks to Anatoles dad 

Just recently we found Kapiti Ice cream (local) was doing a feijoa and pear sorbet ...highly recommended 

Port Waikato

This is taken directly from the Wikipedia:

"Port Waikato is on the south bank of the Waikato River at its outflow into the Tasman Sea, in northern New Zealand. Now a small town with a population of under 300, it was an important port during the New Zealand Land Wars of the 19th century. The Port has a Wharf Store, established 1893, a take-away shop, café, campground, library, community hall, fire station, surf lifesaving club, yachting club and an active fishing club.

Port Waikato is a well-known surfing and whitebaiting destination and a popular holiday spot. Fish can be caught off the rocks and surf beach, and off the sand dunes that border the river mouth. Flounder and mullet are also plentiful using drag nets. It is also one of the few places dinosaur fossils can be found in New Zealand.

Just south of the town are spectacular limestone outcrops where Weathertop footage from the Lord of the Rings was shot.

A school camp was established near the town in the 1920s, which boasts a well-formed BMX track. Port Waikato also serves as a popular wedding destination."

I used to come here occasionally more than ten years ago when I was involved with the engineering needs of the then Franklin District Council - thankfully not much has changed in the meantime. Although work-wise I was never here at sunset which is an entirely different matter, scenically.

Just a little chilly.

The black magnetic sand here makes for some unusual reflections.

Back inside the river mouth - adjacent to the wharf (below) and the shop mentioned above.

Leaves with reflected sky

The absence of food

There hasn't been a lot of food on my blog lately...

Salmon Eggs Benidict from the Square Cafe bottom of Queen Street.

Gannets Muriwai

Its been a while since I visited the Gannet colony at Muriwai. Many many overseas visitors and a lot of very serious looking photographers. One especially dedicated Korean and I did our best to communicate in the absence of a common language while waiting some time for the sunset.  

Even a couple getting their wedding photos taken with the birds and view to the south in the back ground. I've often seen couples having photos taken on the beach but not way up above it !!

Auckland west coast sunset

Anzac Day is Monday 25th April - Field of remembrance Devonport

Always a chance my Grandfather  (WW1) and my Dad (WW2) knew someone here,  NZ is a small place.

North Head

High "tea" for four Zarbo Newmarket.

Four very good coffees, eight items - four of each plus, two with eight of each.

On a GrabOne voucher - $46 outstanding value. 

Sunset looking towards the Waitakere Ranges

We are a big milk producer but .....

Lesser known wharf in behind the Navel Museum

Popular with fishermen (and woman) and a little more out of the way than Birkenhead, Northcote Point or Devonport. Having said that I've never seen anyone land anything decent at any of them but I have seen plenty that looked undersized.

Never the less there would be a lot worse ways of spending ones warm summer days than sitting here in hope with a cold beer or two and maybe a sunny winter day with a hot coffee from the nearby cafe.