Weeks six & seven: trip up north and cookery course

I'll losing track of time now. I'm not sure what we did last week, but on Friday we hired a car and drove up north. We drove up through the kauri forests and saw the largest kauri tree which is thought to be nearly 2000 years old. We stayed a night in the small town of Rawene, staying in a cabin with the most stunning views across the harbour. We sat on the deck with a glass of wine watching the sun go down, then the next morning we had breakfast at the Boatshed cafe which is built on stilts in the water and visited the Koutu boulders which are perfectly rounded rocks along the beach.

On Saturday we drove to Kerikeri to meet my cousin who lives there are go to the Orchard and Ocean food festival. There was live music, lots of food stalls and competitions including the oyster eating competition. It was very hot and it was a relief to get back to their house to stick our feet in the pool. Our bedroom had a balcony overlooking the beautiful Bay of Islands. On Sunday we caught the ferry across to Russell for lunch before driving back down to Auckland.

On Tuesday I visited another school, this time in Massey, west Auckland. It was very different to Macleans with a majority of Maori and Pacific Island students. There was a great focus on the performing arts and I heard an amazing band practicing for the graduation ceremony that evening.
On Wednesday I attended a cookery class at the fish market and learnt how to cook crispy fish fillets with potato cakes and lemon sauce. I was pleasantly surprised how well the finished dish turned out!

So it's now the end of February and we've been in Auckland a month. Two more weeks to go before we head down to Dunedin so I better make the most of the sunshine while it's here!

Week five: Mount Eden, lanterns, Eminem, school visit and humidity

On Wed 12th I visited the University School of Education to find out how they do things here and to arrange some school visits. Since it was out near Mount Eden I decided to climb to the top before catching the bus back. It is an extinct volcano with a very deep crater at the top and offers spectacular views across the whole of Auckland. It was well worth the climb!
Friday marked the start of the Lantern festival, three days of celebrations of Chinese culture in Albert Park with amazing lanterns, displays of art, dance, music and food stalls. We enjoyed watching a demonstration of dragon and lion dancing by some boys, including some who looked very young, and the lanterns looked wonderful once it got dark. Some were a bit strange though, including an Arctic scene including penguins and polar bears together, which we all know live at opposite poles!
On Saturday night we went to a BBQ in the suburb where Eminem was performing a concert, so we were serenaded by his dulcet tones while we ate our dinner. It was very busy because there was also the Nines rugby tournament in the same area. They estimate that those two events and the lantern festival attracted an extra 200,000 people to Auckland last weekend, not including the three cruise ships that were docked.
On Sunday we hired bikes and cycled along the coast road. It was a beautiful sunny day and the views across the harbour were amazing. We got back in time to watch a huge cruise ship sail in to dock. In the evening there was a firework display to mark the end of the lantern festival.
Yesterday I visited a school out in the eastern suburb of Bucklands Beach. It is a high school with 2600 Y9-Y13 students. It was interesting to see what was similar and what was different to the UK. The students were very polite and well behaved and barely spoke in lessons. They all have to wear school uniform until Y13, including regulation brown sandals or clumpy black lace-up shoes. I can't see that going down well at Belvoir!

Week four: Auckland life

Things have settled into a relaxed routine now that we're settled into Auckland life. We are staying in the Old Government House on the University Campus, just across the road from Albert Park. I am trying to have a walk around the park most mornings and there has been some beautiful weather to do that in. They are now setting up the park with Chinese lanterns ready for the lantern festival later this week. The only problem with where we are staying is that any trip out requires a steep climb back up the hill, but at least I'm getting fit!
I have started to explore Auckland, including the zoo with my cousin and her children who were down from Kerikeri for a few days. I am mostly limited to places within walking distance, including the waterfront, fish market, the Domain, Parnell and the CBD. On Saturday we went out for a curry (which are a lot milder than at home so you have to ask them to spice it up a bit) and then to see Dolly Parton in concert - certainly an experience! On Sunday I took the ferry over to Devonport which was just beautiful in the sunshine and the views from Mt Victoria back across to Auckland were stunning.
Yesterday I went to an outdoor yoga class at the waterfront overlooking the harbour. It was very hot and the views were amazing. Very different to my yoga class in Nottingham! I followed that with a swim in the Tepid water baths to cool off. The water seemed more cold than tepid after the heat outside, but it was certainly refreshing!

Week three: the camper van adventures