« atom | Main | australia »

auckland archives


110609_s95_img_3968.jpg

here's what yesterday morning looked like in downtown auckland as i walked to work from the bus stop

110609_s95_img_3969.jpg

a cruise ship was just parking up too

110609_s95_img_3972.jpg

lots of people in black were standing on the boat

110609_s95_img_3974.jpg

and lots of people in the hotel opposite were watching back

110609_s95_img_3975.jpg

110513_s95_img_3617.jpg

110519_s95_img_3704.jpg

110601_s95_img_3877.jpg

110513_s95_img_3623.jpg

110402_s95_img_3119.jpg

101123_850_img_3836.jpg

101123_850_img_3844.jpg

101210_Canon PowerShot S95_IMG_0181.jpg

101209_Canon PowerShot S95_IMG_0146.jpg

101210_Canon PowerShot S95_IMG_0176.jpg

101210_Canon PowerShot S95_IMG_0170.jpg

101210_Canon PowerShot S95_IMG_0171.jpg

101210_Canon PowerShot S95_IMG_0172.jpg

101128_450d_img_0058.jpg

here's len brown.  he's the mayor of the recently formed auckland super city

101128_450d_img_0060.jpg

which means he has super power.  he tried to fire a beam of christmas spirit at me using his super city super powers

101128_450d_img_0062.jpg

he asked me how i thought his display of power went.  he tried to influence my decision but i was getting mixed messages.

101128_450d_img_0062-2.jpg

sometimes your face can give away your true thoughts whilst you body language is trying to convey something different.

101112_850_img_3407.jpg

101112_850_img_3409.jpg

101008_850_img_2666.jpg

100822_450d_img_7388.jpg

100806_850_img_1635.jpg

i've got a new desk position at work for the next couple of months before we move to the new building.  it's fab for cloud watching.

100805_850_img_1615.jpg

100805_850_img_1618.jpg

100805_850_img_1619.jpg

100805_850_img_1621.jpg

100805_850_img_1623.jpg

IMG_5606.jpg

IMG_5605.jpg

IMG_5622.jpg

100612_850_img_0578.jpg

100205_850_img_8082.jpg

every morning i'm guaranteed a stunning view of Auckland over the harbour bridge as my bus goes whizzing in to town.  here's a view of the harbour with little tubes of sunlight bursting through a cloud like a collinder.  quite fantastic.

091123_850_img_6829.jpg

our container reached auckland docks on sunday evening.

091121_450d_img_0738.jpg

auckland harbour is right in the middle of the city, so i thought i'd see if i could find it

091121_450d_img_0739.jpg

this is the view from a boat as we went by last saturday

091121_450d_img_0744.jpg

i did manage to find a cruise ship though

091123_850_img_6830.jpg

but at the end of the day, on the way home, i spotted our NYT boat as the bus went over the harbour bridge

091123_850_img_6837.jpg

the container itself is due to arrive at our house on wednesday and thursday.

091123_850_img_6842.jpg

091121_450d_img_0761.jpg

here is rangitoto island (one of) our local dormant volcanoes.

091121_450d_img_0770.jpg

we got there by boat

091121_450d_img_0781.jpg

and everything was very crusty

091121_450d_img_0784.jpg

even the spiders' webs were weird

091121_450d_img_0795.jpg

and the ferns roll themselves up in to kidney shapes to keep cool

091121_450d_img_0800.jpg

here's the hole down the middle of the volcano at the top

091121_450d_img_0801.jpg

it was quite a walk to get to the top but worth it

091121_450d_img_0818.jpg

here's auckland town

091121_450d_img_0829.jpg

and here's the bridge i go across in the bus to get to work

091121_450d_img_0830.jpg

091121_450d_img_0845.jpg

we had a picnic up the top.  our picnic was mostly very nice sandwiches made by mrs funkypancake.  but this lady next to us had a pot with curry and cooked peas which she ate with proper cutlery. we couldn't compete with that.

091121_450d_img_0846.jpg

091121_450d_img_0868.jpg

interestingly the path round the rim of the crater was made of red soil.

091121_450d_img_0869.jpg

this is a cat trap.

091121_450d_img_0872.jpg

and this is a sign about rubbish

091121_450d_img_0873.jpg

we explored some lava caves with torches (mrs funkypancake had read the brochure beforehand and so took her head torch)

091121_450d_img_0879.jpg

we emerged at the end of the lava caves to see this sign

091121_450d_img_0886.jpg

091121_450d_img_0892.jpg

then it was a tramp through the dark forest

091121_450d_img_0897.jpg

and back down the hill and through the lava fields

091121_450d_img_0908.jpg

it wasn't a hugely hot day, but these volcanic stones really absorbed the heat

091121_450d_img_0911.jpg

and it's good to know prisoners built a toilet door

091121_450d_img_0912.jpg

we also saw a flip flop tree

091121_450d_img_0921.jpg

an abandoned concrete thrown

091121_450d_img_0924.jpg

and a geocaching travelbug

091121_450d_img_0925.jpg

091112_450d_img_0725.jpg

this was the view out the window of a meeting i went to recently.  bit distracting to be honest.

091112_450d_img_0730.jpg

090424_450d_img_2391.jpg

090424_450d_img_2400.jpg

090424_450d_img_2401.jpg

090424_450d_img_2402.jpg

090424_450d_img_2403.jpg