Bit of a storm blowing through my favourite place......

A series of blow holes under a shelf.

Auckland Art Gallery part 2

Auckland Art Gallery part one

I haven't been back at the Gallery in a while and I still marvel at the upgrade that was done some years back in marrying the old with the new. It's a really nice space to spend some time in although I'd suggest avoiding the school holidays if you want to quietly contemplate. The cafe in the pleasant north west corner keeps up the high standard as before.

There has been a change in the large open atrium - the inflatable  flowers which were there for some time have been replaced by these hanging objects, my apologies to who ever made them I didn't note what they represent but my best analogy would be giant foil covered, day-glo painted potatoes.

Wenderholm Regional Park - of all the many parks in Auckland one of my personal favourites

Different angles Muriwai

Wave cut platform 

I took the picture above last Wednesday using my IPhone and it's not a view I've seen so often as the wind was "off shore" as opposed to the prevailing on-shore southwesterly as below taken of the same rock from above with the more common pounding swell.

Fishing at Muriwai

Stairway to fishing heaven - I say that only because in the many many times I've been to Muriwai I've never not seen nobody fishing here except when the tides in and this platform is getting a full thrashing from the Tasman Sea 

Hardy souls on a cold Wednesday 

Lots of fishermen have lost their lives here which is why there are several of these placed around the cliff face- never the less when a rogue wave comes in off the ocean there isn't really anywhere to hide and only one way out.

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