Looking up at the Sky Tower on the day I arrived.
I dropped by my new office the week before my first day. Mr (or Mrs) Pukeko came around to greet me. These common birds (purple swamphens) can be found wandering the parking lot from time to time.
After catching morning tea with a few of my new co-workers, I joined my family for a little road trip. When we hit Pokeno, we stopped for a famous scoop of ice cream.
And, since I would be driving the whole time, I had to pick up a V for an energy boost. I tried the "blue" flavour for the first time and must say I quite liked it.
Once we made it to Lake Taupo, we stopped by the McDonald's to see the prop plane they have setup as an extra dining area. Mum & Aunty Karen posed by the door.
The morning view out of the hotel to Lake Taupo. Gorgeous.
We didn't spend much time in Lake Taupo, and hit the road right after breakfast and headed for Hastings. We made it in time for lunch where I got these corn fritters with bacon at a local cafe. A very nice welcome to Hawke's Bay.
Hanging out with the sheep folk in downtown Hastings. Actually, just an outdoor art installation.
The cronut trend has even made it to these shores. Nom nom nom.
And then we made it to our final destination: Napier. So great to be by the water!
Not the white sand beaches I'm used to, but what a beautiful ocean.
At the MTG Hawkes's Bay (museum, theatre, gallery). A brilliant little museum to visit if you have time. A bit of history, art and culture all in one. Most of the galleries in the museum didn't allow photography except for this small exhibit on Napier's swimming pool culture in the early 20th century.
Sir Robert Douglas Maclean's penny farthing, which he rode from Wellington to Napier in 1876.
We didn't get much of an opportunity to see Hawke's Bay's most famous attractions (their world class wineries) but we did stop at a couple including here at Esk Valley.
And when we made it back to Auckland, we had just enough time to do a bit of shopping at the Icebreaker Outlet.
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Per family traditions, we had to get together for a mean bbq dinner to commemorate the end of the summer. With that, my funemployment officially came to a close and I had a brand new job to look forward to the next day.
Mum & Aunty Karen stayed in town during that first week of work and so I still had plenty of family time after 5pm. One day, they met up with me in the CBD (central business district) for dinner at Elliot Stables (a fancy food court, as I like to call it). I'm a fan of the Little Big Grill restaurant there which has some delicious grilled meats including this awesome lamb dish.
In celebration of Chinese New Year, we had a big family dinner at the local Chinese restaurant. Apologies for the poor focus, but my selfie skills need some practice...
In honour of the occasion, Sky Tower featured some festive lighting.
My rental car (which took us to Hawke's Bay and back) and my board (which survived the flight down to AKL mostly intact) in the Auckland twilight.
All these years I've visited and I never got out to Rangitoto Island until now. What a lovely view of the city, harbour and surrounding area from the top of this dormant volcano.
My hiking crew: Angela, Chris & Jess. You can see the top of Rangitoto behind us from our view at the dock as we waited for the ferry to take us back.
Jess & Angela showing their love for each other during the ferry ride back. They also posed strategically in order to help me try and catch a sneaky pic of Shotput Gold Medallist Valerie Adams (pink shirt on the right) who we ran into during our trip.
After all the activity of the hiking, we had built up quite an impressive appetite. What better way to satisfy that than with a burger, fries and a chocolate shake. As folks who have spent a sizeable chunk of our lives in California, Angela, Jess & I agreed this place, Better Burgers, did a more than good approximation of In-n-out.
Next stop on our day of adventure: The Auckland War Memorial Museum to see the World of Wearable (WoW) exhibition. They had some fantastic outfits on display!
I can't recall if they always had this ice axe here, but I'm pretty sure I never got a good look at it. It belonged to Sir Edmund Hillary who I count as a great hero of mine growing up as much for his humble, Kiwi-ness as his life achievements (climbing Everest).
Supporting a good cause and getting a bit of feed. The "Win-win" situation known as a Sausage Sizzle.
This chocolate milk epitomises great marketing. So hard to find and so much desire from the general public. I reckon it tasted great, but maybe not enough to match the hype...
Happy Chinese New Year! I looked out the window of my hotel and got a beautiful fireworks show. Talk about right time, right place!
Elliot Stables again. This time, I tried the Cajun restaurant's pulled pork sliders with curly fries. Pretty good sliders, excellent curly fries.
Coastal walk with Jess & Chris along the East Coast Bays. The view of Rangitoto Island never gets old.
Seeing a little bit of home (in the form of the Polynesian Voyaging Canoe Hōkūleʻa) in my other home just warms the heart.
Thanks so much to Aunty Marilei for inviting me out to party with the crew and to hang out with a whole bunch of cool Hawaii folk!
Thanks also go to Angela & Jess for introducing me to the decadence known as Giapo's Haute Ice Cream. I opted for the Giapo Buono (salted caramel) flavour and you can see the toasted marshmallow and bronzed hazelnuts which adorned the gelato. So epic and so delicious!
The Volve Ocean Race stopped off in Auckland and, thanks again to Aunty Marilei, I had an awesome opportunity to get up close with one of the boats.
Mark Towill, a sailor on the Alvimedica team, invited a bunch of Hawaii folks (mostly Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia crew) on to see his boat and to give us a little tour. Here, he explains to us all the lines that run up the mast and hoist all the various sails needed for all the different conditions they experience on the open water.
And then, we went into the boat and Mark explained about the inner bit of the boat. He answered questions bout the sleeping arrangements, eating meals and gave us all great insight to the life of a Volvo Ocean Race sailor.
We even got to see the carbon fiber toilet they use during the long stretches of time out on the open ocean. Amazing.
Many years of Punahou graduates represented and reunited here in Auckland. Again, an awesome reminder of home.
A parting shot of all the Volvo Ocean Race boats after we finished up the tour. Thanks so much, Mark, for showing us around!
That weekend, the boats had an in-harbour fleet race. My new boss at FPH, being an avid sailor himself, expressed an interest in seeing the race in person and invited me to join him on his boat. Given the exceptionally nice weather and this spectacular opportunity for a unique view of the race, how could I say no?!
So I went along and had an awesome time. Thanks so much Dave!
Since the racing finished up quite early, we had a bit of extra time. We decided to cruise around and explore some of the bays near Auckland. We ended up in Judges Bay where we docked and hopped into the cool, refreshing water for a bit of a swim. I'm glad I brought my togs (aka board shorts)!
Finally, after a nice dinner with Angela, Jess, Chris & Chelsea, we wrapped up the night by walking around the Viaduct and stumbling upon a free concert by none other than the Black Seeds! I don't think the photo can really do much justice to how happy I felt at this very moment.
So there we go. What a wonderful start to my new life in this not so new city. I'm very much looking forward to all the new adventures that await!
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