Walking round THE park.

The second weekend of the Heritage Festival draws to a close as I write this post. Yesterday started a little cool but clear and sunny, so I set off for the 8.45am 24B into town with my summer shorts and pale legs as Nicky made her final preparations before going off to work.

My first booking was a tour of Eden Park, New Zealand’s National Stadium and the spiritual home of New Zealand rugby. I arrived in time to grab a coffee in Kingsland before the tour began and took us straight to the sixth floor (top level) of the stadium. We saw corporate boxes, function lounges, changing rooms, coaches boxes, the undercover walkway that goes all round the stadium, the smallest RSA in NZ, and almost got to walk on the pitch. It was very interesting to see the “insides” of the stadium and our guide was entertaining and informative.

The Smallest RSA in NZ

Back out in the sunshine I caught the train to Grafton and then a link bus over to Ponsonby. After consuming my picnic lunch in Western Park and enjoying coffee and a pecan brioche I walked to the Grey Lynn RSC to for a walk around the environs with two local Samoan’s. The focus of this walk was much more on their personal experiences growing up in the area than the history of the area itself, but it was still enjoyable and again I was taken through areas of Auckland which I had not seen before.

Typical Grey Lynn street

Artwork at the RSC

I arrived home a little after 5pm and Nicky returned from work and Scrabbling in Henderson a couple of hours later. After the consumption of spicy fruit muffins and cheese and lashings of tea, we both read the evening away.

This morning was a less promising start weather-wise but we haven’t had any of the possible showers. Before Nicky went to church I was on the road again but this time to drive to Botany to see my niece Rachel and her partner Joel who has come up to Auckland for a skating competition in which she was competing. I picked them up from their hotel and we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and chat before I dropped them at the airport for their flight home. Nicky and I then caught a bus into town for a guided walk around part of Karangahape Road (K’Rd)for our afternoon Festival activity. I go to K’Rd every couple of weeks for my MeetUp discussion group, so I feel quite familiar with the area. It was good to get a different perspective through the history of the buildings and stories of the people, and be reminded that there is more than just what we see today. We had beverage and disappointing sticky bun before making our way home and an evening with the telly.

Work has been quiet for both of us this week, though I feel I have been frequently busy in the office even though I have only done a couple of on-site visits. The school holiday activities haven’t pulled the crowds into the library either.

On Monday we got Nicky’s superannuation application completed and submitted with supporting documentation, so that she can be officially an old person in the not to distant future. Nicky had life group on Wednesday and I went up to The Block for a beer on Friday after we had had a very late dinner of fish and chips as our chippy was closed and the one in Green Bay was very busy. I think we enjoyed them all the more because of it.

Take care, Rick.