Hello Herne Bay

This is our second week of living in Herne Bay.  I love our new house, its light clean look, its soft warm brown carpet, its spaciousness. 

The  move itself was gruelling on a very wet day and had to be completed the following Monday after five hours on the Saturday.  Had a few sleepless nights, before, during and after but now that the furniture is in place, the majority of the boxes unpacked (with more than a little help from our friends) we feel at home here in our new abode, street and suburb,much as I remember feeling when we first moved to Ponsonby 36 years ago. The villa was smaller but it had the same light walls and brown carpet, come to think of it.

It takes just that bit longer getting to and from places but so far so good.  When we miss the connecting bus from Ponsonby to Herne Bay there is a convenient taxi rank at Three Lamps which I availed myself on my long trip home from a meeting in Epsom yesterday. 

Today on my home from the gym walked down Hobson St to Wah Lee's to get some rice paper light shades for the last remaining naked dangling lightbulbs and look forward to fossicking about in there again. 

 Conscious of the amount of stuff we unpacked and put away I resisted today but weakened further down the road at the City Mission op shop where  I popped in to have a look around and found things half price.   Got a cute little clock radio to set on the Concert Program in the mornings seeing our old one has yet to be found.  

Saw two lovely Royal Doulton soup plates with a lovely leaf pattern which I couldn't resist and bought them to use for our Mr Wattie's Extra Special pea soup today and many other soup days to come.  Over recent years we have used my mother's old Noritake Vine Yard Burgundy design dinner set and no doubt will get as much pleasure out of these 2 new plates as out of the Noritake version of the 1960s.  

Bye bye Ponsonby

We shift to Herne Bay soon so taking the time to visit our favourite places before doing so, while it is still easy to do so.  Have just got home from attending Mass at the spacious Sacred Heart Church in Vermont Street.  Our Parish Priest Father Rory Morrissey always gives a good sermon though I don't always agree with his views.  

Got nabbed outside Nosh by people from the local Commmunity Board with a questionnaire as to what we would like to see in the new park to be designed in that spot.  If we were still living in Ponsonby I would have preferred the shop to stay there as there are fewer and fewer food shops, just cafes and restaurants. 

A lovely new Countdown did open last week at the Ponsonby Road end of Williamson Ave where we shopped on our way home from our gym session at the Y.  Got lovely fresh mandarins for $2 a kilo and tomatoes for the same price if I remember rightly.

Coffee'd this morning at old favourite Dizzengoff.  The poppyseed, sultana and orange muffins are superb and we enjoyed a whole one each with butter with our pipping hot latte in a glass. Got a table near the window where we could people and dog watch the world go by.  Just as well as the noise level of people chatting prohibits conversation on my part as I find it hard to make myself hear and be heard.

Our final port of call was Nosh for some meat and fresh vegetables for our evening meal, appetising dark red meaty mince with minimal fat, just perfect for a lasagne if I leave time to prepare it.  

We are in the throes of packing for our imminent shift to Herne Bay in a couple of weeks.

Bayswater and Back

Made the most of a big day out with visiting friend Eileen and old friend Marlene.  We got the 11.00am boat across the harbour  to Bayswater.  There were only another couple of passengers on the boat across and it was a brilliantly sunny day for the end of April.the boat seemed to have trouble berthing and getting close enough to the wharf but succeeded after the third attempt of tying, pulling tight and  unwinding the ropes that brought the ferry close enough to drag out the gangplank and let us trip safely off.  

Did so smartly though the connecting bus drove off just as we approached leaving us to spend another half hour waiting till midday for  the next one.  There was a lovely parklike reserve round the marina and we waited there watching somebody fishing, another flying his drone, another couple of workers mowing the lawn and trimming the edges.  What a life on a day like that! 

We were en route to one of my favourite cafes at present, Little and Friday, except in our case it was Big and Wednesday as you can see by the size of the quiches.  Ditto the cakes and their fabulous doughnuts, big enough in fact for the four of us to have a piece of each.  Today's filling was peanut, salty caramel and chocolate ganache and delicious.  

After that it was on by bus through other tidy North Shore suburbs to Takapuna and thence on foot to the beach. Made a short visit to the library in the Strand en route and enjoyed some downtime gazing out to sea and  Rangitoto while the others had a stroll along the beach at low tide.

Took the bus back over the bridge , crossed leafy Victoria Park on foot, picked up another bus to Ponsonby and flopped into bed for a rest.

Day in Town

Saw Auckland anew through the eyes of my Australian visitor today as we sampled the sights of mid-town Auckland a trois.  Started by delivering 5kg of freshly picked guavas from our tree to Giapo who gave us an icecream voucher in return.  

Sampled Giapo Buono, Giapo's Special might be a good translation, and decided on that - caramel icecream with bits of wafery biscuit through it, decorated with roasted gilded hazelnuts and the glossiest Italian meringue squiggles possible, a veritable work of art. 

From there across Aotea Square we walked up to the pop-up Globe Theatre to see if we could get tickets for Romeo and Juliet or Twelfth Night but it was not to be.

Then we went to the Central City Library to look at the Shakespeare exhibition on at present, including copies of the First and Second Folios. I enjoyed reading a couple of the sonnets and a page of Twelfth Night, among other books of Shakespeare's time.

Back past the side of the Town Hall with it colourful flags.

Time for lunch at Smith and Caughey, a meaty mushroom and blue vein tart with a colourful salad with tomato chutney on the side - good value at $10.

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Guava Season

There was a big storm last week which brought down a big branch of the guava tree, laden with ripe and semi-ripe fruit.  Got the small jar collection and jam pan up from under the house and boiled up a potful of fruit with some water, strained it through my improvised jelly bag and boiled up briskly to setting point.  As usual it is a lovey ruby colour and has a tangy flavour.

It is delicious on fresh bread with banana or cheese,  or with any meat where you would use  cranberry sauce.

Sad end for Herne Bay house

This house is across the road and I am saddened to see its fate. It was bought by a developer a few months after the death of its owner, Vinka, who had lived there most of her life.  One side of the road has the older villas from the late 19th century, the other side  and Jervois Rd near the corner, mid century. I wonder what will replace it.  

Orewa Beach

Low tide on a Sunday morning is an ideal time for a walk along the beach into the village for a browse around the market.  Espied some fresh walnuts, a big bagful for $10 which I bought for my nut basket, bought some years ago in a souvenir shop in Abel Tasman National Park.  When I have time to bake I will incorporate them into walnut drops, an old recipe from the Fielder's Cornflour recipe book of yesteryear.

Napier

We reached our destination, Napier early so disembarked in good time arriving in the centre of town as the bands were starting to play and the shops were opening. We just went with the flow, and made the most of the day imbibing the atmosphere with the locals . They and visitors were mainly dressed in deco clothing, men included in their natty hats and braces.  It was a warm day at over 20.  We were in town quite early so just walked round the streets until we found the library when it opened at 10 am. I picked up my emails and sent mine off.  

We walked  back into town and found the old museum, then the present one.  It is always good to while away time congenially in a museum and this one on 3 floors was no exception. We looked at the Maori section first with its local artefacts, including some serious looking portraits of the late 1800s. 

There was also a lovely Lalique glass exhibition.  There is a collector who lives round these parts who has donated or lent his collection for exhibitions. I think we saw one in Gisborne too in November.  

Then there was a collection of artworks by Dick Frizzell, the artists who popularised the 4 Square grocer in his prints. I tried to take a photo of the poster outside  on my iPhone but it didn't come out very well. Inside there was no photography permitted. 

The main exhibition for us was the 1931 earthquake one. There  was a film by 4 survivors being interviewed about what it was like and it must have been terrible with so much loss of life and destruction of buildings leading later on to the rebuilding of the city with all the deco buildings. One of the people interviewed was the author and poet Lauris Edmond, now dead.  She describes the impact on her and her family in her autobiography too which I read some years ago and must reread again.  It was her sister's first day of school.  

Watched the parade from upstairs in the museum as we found a good vantage point where we could sit. By the time it finished about 1.30 we decided to go back to the ship for lunch as it would have taken ages to find somewhere to eat without a long wait.

But first Dieter wanted to see the 6 Sisters  - 6 lovely old deco two storied houses on the Marine Parade. One of them had a cafe in it and we would have eaten there but there was a big group ordering their coffee, panini etc that we decided to go back rather than hang around hungrily.

As it was had a nice leisurely lunch, a short rest then got the shuttle back in to town to look at the  earthquake  exhibition and the remaining interview or two we had missed.   We enjoyed a Rush Monroe ice cream sitting outside in the sun, a gourmet feijoa icecream which was not as creamy and piquant as Giapo's version. 

There was still a bit of heat in the sun and a lot of weary looking fashionistas walking about when we hobbled back to our shuttle about 5.30 or so  and went back to the Pacific Pearl.

We dressed for dinner which was a Bianco  evening with everyone in white.  Although we asked for a table for 2 to save the effort of chit chat the tables for 2 are just a hand's width from the next one, so it would be churlish not to talk so once more into the breech it was with the small talk.

The two ladies were in their whites, one in a cream lacy creation which turned out to be her wedding dress of 28 years ago.  I had thought everybody looked so drab in black the first night and of course now I realise it was a Noir night.  We of course knew nothing about this not having opened or seen the email about the programme.   Not to worry.  I don't have a white outfit anyway and the first night I wore a black top and black floral skirt by chance.

The two ladies of the night before had been on a couple of 3 month world cruises which has got me thinking.  Not the P & O for us as the entertainment is not to my liking.  Too loud for a start and no classical or easy listening music, or talks on interesting topics. As they often say cheaper than a rest home.  

Today Sunday everybody is out on the deck in their bathing suits, sunning themselves.  I got up very early to get a cup of tea and tried a muffin and croissant with it and then didn't bother going back to bed.  Had breakfast proper with Dieter about 8.30 then prepared for the day after that.  

No churchy acknowledgment of the day of the week or anything, just a throng of sun worshippers on board.  Last cruise there was a non-denominational service of sorts for those who wanted to attend and we went as it was easy to do so.

Had a nice buffet lunch of beer-battered fish and thin chips, peas and carrots, preceded by salad. The fish was delicious, like orange roughy.

The dessert is always the same, fresh fruit, jelly, little tarts with creme patissiere and fruit on top and a small assortment of small pieces of cake. Not a lot of choice but enough.  

Have finished my book, another Irish one and very good.  The green road by Anne Enright.  Will get another of hers out next. In the meantime have a book on the Spanish mission architecture of Hastings which was on special at the Art Deco Centre. Dieter bought this year's Art Deco poster too which we will put up at home to remind us of a happy day and a cruise cruise.

Cruising on the Pacific Pearl to Napier

Have just enjoyed two days at sea as it were but I must say it has been most enjoyable and relaxing. Haven't missed the computer at all and haven't bothered to check email etc as will be doing so this morning when we get off the ship.

We have an inside  cabin which was all that was left but it doesn't really matter as we are only in there off and on during the day  and of course with daylight saving and Autumn combined it is dark in the mornings anyway. I have slept better with no cares to distract me from the business of cruising. This morning it is a bit early  but I have been reading my book and doing a bit of thinking.  

There seem to be mainly Kiwis this trip many of them in Deco mode with their silvery headgear , jewellery, accessories and dresses.  There are lots of older women , many of them travelling in groups with friends or family. People  are friendly.  

Haven't located the gym yet and with the opulent meals I have ground to a halt which will require a bit of effort on our return.  I am looking forward to some exercise today but it will be 26 degrees so that will limit its duration.  

The first night the sea was a bit rough and it took a while to get to sleep with me on high alert for the occasional creak.   The rock and rolling didn't bother me and it wasn't as bad as the Waiheke ferry can feel in bad weather.

There is plenty on during the day but the music is quite loud. Last night we found a quieter  corner in one of the bars and enjoyed a kir royale and watched the world go by. The jazz has been very nice to listen to. 

Last night was the Gatsby evening with many of the passengers dressed to the nines all being photographed. There was a Gatsby party at 9.30pm which would have been very crowded anyway so we gave it a miss.  We were in the first sitting for dinner round 6 pm and most of the partygoers would have been in the second sitting at 7.45 so for them it would have been an evening and night of it and today another big day today in town.

There is a parade of  vintage cars etc at 12.30 which we will watch, otherwise just take in the ambience and architecture and indulge in some fresh stone fruit, have a nice coffee somewhere and lunch too somewhere else too.i don't think the ship is leaving till late at night but we will come back on board later in the day anyway. I think the port is about 45 minutes on foot but there are shuttle buses too. 

The buffet lunch is very good on board as you can pick and choose by what it looks like . In the evening it is a la carte and very filling if you have three courses as we have been having. Had a delicious salad as a starter  - spinach, caramelised fresh peach slices and blue cheese which I will try and replicate some time at home.

Waiheke on Anniversary Weekend

Arriving at Matiatia and looking back to Auckland.

Pt Chevalier Beach

This is a lovely long safe beach with some shade and seats where we went for a swim and picnic lunch during the week.

Sentinel Rd Beach in Herne Bay

This was our first and hopefully not our last visit to the small beach at the bottom of Sentinel Rd. The first photo was taken half way down the steps leading to it.   Coming up them afterwards is worse! It was lovely sitting under the shade of those trees gazing out across the harbour to the Harbour Bridge.

Had a swim before a picnic lunch of Turkish pide bread stuffed with ham and salad followed by plums.  By this time the beach had filled up with the afternoon bathers so I had one more quick dip before our arduous trip home by foot up Sentinel Rd, down Ardmore Rd to lower Islington St to Scott St and in through the back gate to home sweet home. 

Summer in the City

Means icecream and not just any old icecream. Giapo's  in Queen St falls into the gourmet category or as he puts it, haute ice cream.

  Yesterday was the day for it too and we both chose strawberries and cream for a quintessential summery experience.  

It was strawberry sorbet swirled with vanilla icecream covered in flaked almonds, dusted with icing sugar and decorated with a slice of strawberry.  It tasted just as good as it sounds.

Devonport

We went to Devonport with a few friends yesterday seeing the gym is in abeyance until the 18th of January. There were two big cruise ships in town as well so the ferry to Devonport was packed with holidaymakers, tourists and locals.

Went to the Stone Oven for lunch, always a spinach and mushroom pie for me, then a visit to the lovely new library and a walk along King Edward Parade as far as Art by the Sea gallery which was unfortunately closed. It was full tide so I enjoyed a refreshing paddle instead.  

Waiheke

Ostend gift shop.

Berry and white chocolate muffin from Solar, our favourite morning coffee venue in Oneroa.

New shop in Oneroa.

Baguette for lunch at Frenchot.