A Day Without Rain

Yesterday's third and final thunderous hour of rain added two more inches to Auckland's soggy total. Today was clear with lighter air. A delightful reprieve. After work, we got out and about.

Here's the friendly proprietor at Grey Lynn Butchers, awarded the prize for best streaky bacon (the type we love in the US) in Auckland. Happily, the welcoming shop is just a block from our hotel.

Breakfast-lunch of avocado, tomato, cuke, kale, cheesy eggs, and that award-winning bacon.

 NZ flax

Secondhand store down the block from the hotel. The thoughtful shop owner, who lived in Paris for 20 years before returning to Auckland, wanted to talk about...(there's only one topic and flying halfway around the world won't get you away from it).

Grey Lynn Park, nestled right into the neighborhood, is just a few blocks from the hotel.

It even has a zipline. Incoming!

 

A rain-soaked riot of growth.

 Three Women, sculpture by Barbara Ward, 1994

 

Now four

A remarkable number of these restored old homes make up the neighborhood. Take a look at this story on a dilapidated late-1800s Grey Lynn cottage that sold for $1.075 million during the 2014 real estate boom.

What a clever idea this is: a dog-friendly drinking fountain. Not sure I've ever seen one. 

Tarahiki redux

Accompanied by blue cheese tartar sauce made using Cyclops sour cream. When you cook every day, encountering a beautifully made NZ product remembered from the last visit is like seeing an old friend.

The ability to cherish the “little joy” is intimately connected with the habit of moderation.
Hermann Hesse

And a clear evening on our tiny balcony to enjoy it. Yet another little joy.