This was our fourth trip to Auckland, New Zealand. Never before had we really been outside of this wonderful city. On this trip we had the pleasure of being greeted by our friends Grant and Jenny at the pier in downtown Auckland. They planned a great day for us. First, it was off to breakfast at the Comida, a street-side café with outstanding coffee and food. It was our first experience having coffee in what is called a bowl. The white bowls can be seen in the photo below. We liked the coffee very much and the breads were the best. Our café was directly across the street from the beach.
After breakfast, Grant drove us through the city and on to the West Brook Winery located 25 minutes north of the Auckland central business district. It is nestled in the beautiful Ararimu Valley adjacent to the Riverhead Forest. We were greeted there by Sue and Anthony Ivicevich who own and operate the winery www.westbrook.co.nz They showed us around and allowed us to sample some of their award winning wines. The winery is located on very picturesque grounds landscaped perfectly.
Then it was on to do some shopping. Most importantly our shopping trip was to find a new netbook computer, since our laptop went totally dead a few days ago. Grant had done some research and found some really good deals at JB Hi-Fi located in the Westfield Shopping Center in Manukau, New Zealand. We picked out a new Acer
Aspire One and an external DVD burner. It should meet our needs for the remainder of the trip. While we were looking for a netbook, Jenny went to a deli and picked out some items for our lunch.
Aspire One and an external DVD burner. It should meet our needs for the remainder of the trip. While we were looking for a netbook, Jenny went to a deli and picked out some items for our lunch.
We headed out from shopping through the countryside on to Grant and Jenny’s home. The country reminded us very much of the rolling hills of southern Virginia. Lush green countryside with tall trees uses them as hedges and wind blocks. Wow, what a really beautiful home/manor they have. When we arrived, Grant set us up with WiFi access to get all the updates for our new netbook, and Jenny gave us the tour which included an introduction to the home; several fish; two turtles; two cats; one very large pig and two llamas soon to have babies. The views from the back yard are spectacular. We had a traditional New Zealand chicken, tomato, and avocado sandwiches for lunch.
Afterward, it was back to Auckland and then on to the ship. We really appreciated our hosts, Grant and Jenny taking time to show us their city, countryside and their home. Their hospitality and kindness was something we will never forget. By the way, Grant is a world famous artist and lecturer. Grant can be contacted through his association with AMFPA at http://www.mollybean.co.nz/Art.htm
And, now it's on to Sydney and the Bridge Climb
