4 posts tagged “auckland”

Auckland Anniversary Day

This seagull (and many friends and relatives) had the same idea as me, this sunny lunch time. For the first time in a while, the heat was not accompanied by a horrible humidity, making for a good break from work.

Lots of folks were out to enjoy the regatta and other anniversary day featues. Me, I donned my sunhat, coated myself in sunscreen, sipped organic gingerale, and took photographs of birds.

I spent the evening planning my bus route, checking maps, plotting a mission out west (West Auckland, that is) to check out a couple of yarn shops. I woke early on my one day off, glad it was not raining, map in bag with knitting supplies and a book, and ventured over on the ferry to the city, and headed for the bus.

I was still nervous of getting on the wrong bus, and getting stuck in some unknown part of the sprawling city, so checked with the driver that he was heading where I was. Of course! Absolutely. Only, he really wasn't. I don't know if my questions were wrong, or if he was just a bit mental, but I did indeed end up in the wrong place.

After sitting down with my map, I figured out I was defintely so far off track that I couldn't walk to my original destination, or figure out my way there without the aid of the trusty public transport planner site online, and so crossed the road and caught the next bus back into the centre of the city.

So traumatised by these events, and my apparent failure to get from A to B unaided, I retreated to the one yarn shop I've located in the (cold, but still beating) heart of the city, Masco Wools in the Downtown Shopping Center (one of those monstrous Westfield deals). Spotting some Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino in RED, it was easy enough to decide that this was meant to be. There were a few other selections made (how could there not be), and order was restored to my unbalanced world as I hatched a not so evil plan for yummy red socks.

One of my purchases was a hank of JJ's Montage Collection Mohair in "Karamea", that is pictured up there. For now, it is a scarf in progress, but as I've unravelled it twice already, I'm not completely confident it will stay that way (at least in its current form).

And I'm sure that I'll get to those shops eventually - perhaps next weekend. I'm going to endeavour to head out West again next Sunday after work for a knitting meetup. Hopefully getting lost two weeks in row is something even I can't manage!

Sailing Away

It's not just Wednesday that I see sailing happen - it's a pretty regular thing around here. But, after 5PM on Wednesday, there they are, a bunch of yachts. I assume there's some kind of club or class, or whatever boaty people do. One day I'll head down to the waterfront and get a better shot!

Grey Day

The view from my window isn't that flash today. It's dull, and cloudy, and fog/mist/rain has managed to obscure from view several unnamed suburbs of Auckland.

Well, they're not actually nameless (that would be hard on the posties), but I've not yet taken it upon myself to learn their names.

I've never been one for geography. I lived in Christchurch for several years without coming to grips with which inconsequential suburb was west and which was south.

Perhaps it stems from my non-driving -  I trust the taxi or bus driver knows where they're going, and don't worry myself with the details. Or perhaps it stems from being the centre of my own little world, untroubled by those on the outskirts...