Matt and Barbara are creating a new restaurant in Auckland called Return! Unbelievably, they're shooting for a mid to late March opening. Before we left the area, we wanted to be sure to stop by to see it before it becomes the gem I'm sure it will be, and Barbara had mentioned that they'd be there this morning will some of their team. It's going to be a stylish, fine dining place, and location seems to be perfect, in the midst of a trendy, fashionable hub that is known for its boutique shops, world class restaurants and cafes, bars and nightlife.
To get to their restaurant, we walked from our hotel. Barbara did mention that there was a hill to contend with. And she was right. Part of our walk was up a pretty steep 1/2 mile long hill. But it was worth it. That was the beginning of our Aukland trek that took us up Franklin Rd, lined with beautiful old English plane trees (which look a lot like sycamores), down Ponsonby, lined with shops and restaurants, to Karangahape Rd, known as K Road, known for its historic buildings, unique boutiques, shops and restaurants.
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| St. Patrick's |
We stopped to admire the Anglican cathedral St. Matthew in the city, built between 1902 and 1905. It's renowned for its beautiful stained glass windows. Unique are stained glass pieces thar commemorate the 257 passengers and crew who died in a 1979 crash of a NZ Air crash in Antarctica.
St. Patrick's catholic cathedral is a short distance from St. Matthew's. The original church was wood that was replaced in 1907. It seems somewhat out of place surrounded by tall modern buildings.
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| ASB HQ |
We appreciated the creative modern buildings around Auckland, from the Auckland Savings Bank building in the Wynyard area (where we were staying) to the NZ International Convention Center.
Dinner was at a little Italian place near the hotel.
Auckland is an interesting city, and very different from other cities we've visited in the US and abroad. It's super clean: there's no litter blowing along the street or lying in the gutters. We walked all over the city and saw only 2 homeless people in our travels. Tipping is only done for exceptional service. Normally, there's no need to leave a tip. Stores and restaurants close really early here, most by 9 pm. There were many people walking on the waterfront, and stores and restaurants were still closing up. The arrows indicating right and left turn only lanes are placed only just at the intersection. So if you're rolling up to an intersection and there are cars ahead of you, you have no idea it's a turn only lane til you get to the intersection. Very annoying. As in Ireland, Ray is icing driving on the left side of the road. The only hiccup is that the turn signal for the car is on the right side, and the windows wash is on the left. Every time we need to make a turn, the wipers turn on...
On to Christchurch.
Photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/vyvFFC4m2ZheBSd39
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