An amazing day, yesterday. We started out touring the town with Tony, one of two of the owners of the Eden Park. We’ve only got a little time in Auckland, so we have to be efficient in what we see and when … so Tony made sure we hit the high points: several neighborhoods along the waterfront, Kelly Tarelton’s Underwater World, the Auckland Museum, the Winter Gardens (see photo, above), and fine fish and chips in Davenport.
We spent the afternoon shopping on Queen Street and Commerce Street, coming away with chocolates, wool scarves, Christmas ornaments, and more (but no five dollar left-over sushi!).
And then, back at the Eden Park B&B, a little Kiwi magic happened: friends and neighbors of Tony and Marlene dropped in. The next thing we knew, the neighbors were ringing up other neighbors, and — out of nowhere — a party materialized.
Bottles of wine appeared. Neighbors brought in local cheeses. Marlene produced mussels … and chocolate biscuits … and crackers. The wonderful couple from Utah (staying in the Cream Room) contributed chocolate-covered orange-filled candies.
We spent the night with new acquaintances … all of whom became, in the course of one evening, good friends.
More later. Our car’s here … and we’re off to the Coromandel Peninsula!
Hi Mark,I’m Brenda, Jeri’s High School friend. Your blog is beautifully written and would easily sell to a travel magazine. Your photos are fabulous. In the 90s, I read a book entitled Bone People by Keri Hume. It is about the Maori people and a great read. Thank you for sharing your journey.
Brenda: Wow! It’s great to hear from one of Jeri’s high school friends. Thanks for the kind words about MadeByMark.com!
The only thing that would make our trip better would be to have even more wonderful people like you along. Thanks for joining the journey — if only virtually! — by reading along here online.
We’re headed back to Auckland today by way of Coromandel. Tonight, we’ve been invited to a huge Kiwi barbecue — another sign of just how wonderful the local hospitality really is.
Nice to hear from you!Mark