I am sitting here sipping liquorice tea, and nibbling big red strawberries. Outside the sun is shining and I have a wonderful view from our 27^th floor apt of Auckland spread below… the harbour is ahead and the park lands and city are fused together like a colourful jig saw puzzle. From my lofty position I have a good view of Parnell in the distance where we have signed on the dotted line for a house to rent. We pack up and move in tomorrow.

In Adelaide at this time the streets were lined with Jacarandah trees, here in Auckland there are so many magnolias, so beautiful and such a perfect flower. Also love the song by JJ Cale!

We arrived in New Zealand on Saturday and were met with the Korean manager, who is given to ‘the odd tipple’.  His face has that bloated shiny look, and I don’t think it’s the job that has tipped him over the edge. I think he just has a ‘party’ disposition! John and I were instructed to find ourselves a place to live, so we dutifully spent Sunday scouting around in our new hired car, with the GPS and a map of the city, all in the pouring rain. Indeed eachday I have felt a bit  like Eeyore and the rain cloud,

as I seem to have had my own personal cloud following me about. Today I marched along the harbour defiantly trying to walk faster than the long black cloud above me!

We looked at Howick, so pretty and compact with the sea lapping along its own private beach, just down the hill, and picturesque marine villages with names like Cockle Bay and Half Moon Bay, but in the end we chose Parnell.

The street is full of arty boutiques and galleries and so on, and loads of restaurants and down from there we are just a spit away from the Parnell rose garden and Judge’s Bay. It is all very nice. I am looking forward to unpacking, and buying vinegars and spices and filling my cupboards and fridge with things I might want to use tomorrow or the day after! I feel I have been camping for quite a few weeks now.

Yesterday whilst out and about on Queen’s Street, I saw some crazy abseilers doing their acrobatic stunts at the Metro Centre in Aotea square. They were dressed as crabs and lobsters and so on. I didn’t really pay too much attention. Later I watched the News  and saw that the ‘mermaid’ had fallen 20m from the top.  Horrified spectators thought it was just part of the act, and thought she would stop any minute, but she didn’t and landed on the square. It was awful, but by some miracle she has only broken her cheek bone.

I missed the drama (thank goodness) as I was in a café reading about pandas arriving in Edinburgh and a pod of orcas thrilling the motorists, pedestrians and boaties in Wellington Harbour.

It is all go with animal stories. I was really intrigued with the dancing praying mantis!

Christmas is in full swing here and it seems so odd with people walking about in shorts and sunglasses. Also there is a tendency for fun, and crazy stunts in gardens and streets.

Whilst driving out to Mission Bay on Sunday (with the wipers going flat out) we passed a huge wall of rather a strange design. John was quite disparaging, saying how he didn’t care for the building.

It wasn’t till we got closer that we realised it was a huge wall of Maersk containers on the container wharf, and was the result of a 4 day strike.

 Looked like a mighty wall to us, and I just hope there were no poor people being smuggled in any of the boxes. (Have I seen too many episodes of The Wire?!!)

John came back last night full of despair. This job seems worse than the Adelaide one, but after a hot bath, and a wee dram he perked up and we went for a therapeutic walk in the nearby Albert Park.

 Oh well, we sat and enjoyed the setting sun, and the views of our apt and the magnificent trees that one of these days I must find a name for.

I feel quite up-beat and positive about this stay. There is the whole of the north to explore, and seas and rivers to try out my trusty rod. John said that some guy at work said I would need a much mightier line…you only catch ‘brutes’ here apparently!