January 6 – February 3, 2014
Between periods of actively moving around, we have what I call “mini lifetimes” in places. Generally these times range from three weeks to four months, but they share the feeling of having lived there, being an insider as opposed to a visitor passing through.
It happens when we’ve been in a place long enough that we’ve seen the “must sees,” and the lesser sights that interest us, which enables us to relax and live there as a native. We’ve answered the questions of, “Where’s the best place to do laundry? Have breakfast? Get prescriptions filled? Go grocery shopping or buy seafood? Find boat parts?” “Who makes the best cheeseburger? Pizza? Specialty dish of the area?” When those questions have been answered, we make them part of our routine. I suppose that’s what distinguishes a “visit” from a “mini lifetime.” Visits are full of “see and dos” while lifetimes have routines.
Our time at Bayswater would definitely fit in the “lifetime” category, especially since we’d spent an additional two weeks nearby in Auckland. This era was marked by watching the summer deepen, the days getting warmer yet shorter. Towards the end of our Bayswater stay we could walk around after dark on a warm night and enjoy the lights and sounds of Auckland across channel. (Click to enlarge any photos that follow.)
And below is a little gallery…
During this period we had a second visit from our friends Bob and Linda, who opted to stay in Devonport instead of Auckland. The first evening we went to meet them, we soaked up the atmosphere as we walked to their hotel. It was breezy but lovely, with boats sailing past and people spilling out of every cafe. Devonport is charming, but it really becomes something special on summer evenings like this, the atmosphere fun and festive. What a treat to enjoy two evenings in Devonport, something we wouldn’t have thought to do on our own.
Their final night here, we decided go to dinner in Auckland. On a previous visit I’d noticed this cozy English pub-looking place and discovered it’s a good, old-fashioned steakhouse, the kind with low lighting, comfy booth seating, and steaks with sauces. The reviews looked good; so I suggested we try it. As it turned out, I hit a home run with this one—the steaks and side dishes were fantastic.
After dinner, we noticed the Sky Screamer Reverse Bungy across the street was open. It seats up to four people in an open-air car strung between two bungies, the cart pulled down to street level. When it’s let go, the car goes high, high into the air before coming back down for a big second bounce. If that sounds horrifying, it looks even worse! We watched a couple get in, looking appropriately very nervous. The guy with the controls was talking to them and shot them off mid-sentence, kind of like a doctor performing the painful thing on the count of two instead three.
We watched in horrified amazement, listening to the screams, until the bouncing stopped and they were lowered back to the sidewalk. While the girl looked like she had fun, the guy looked like he’d suffered through electroshock therapy. No way were we going to do the reverse bungy. Instead, we continued our walk, enjoying the city lights and the beautiful warm night. Below, photos of the restaurant and Reverse Bungy.
This visit with our friends pretty much marked the end of our Bayswater time. Silly Season (the New Zealand holiday season) was coming to an end and the multitudes of Kiwi boaters would be heading home; so it was now our turn to go out and do some cruising. Our plan was to visit some of the islands in the Hauraki Gulf we didn’t get to last year, then head down to Tauranga for the rest of the season.
Aside from being summer, another happening lingered in the background of this era. Takapuna and Devonport are where the singer Lorde grew up. She’d shot to fame the previous year, and her star continued to shine as she won two grammys in January. All of New Zealand was supporting her, but the North Shore area was particularly proud, with banners on the fence of her former school rooting for her to win, and articles about her frequently appearing in the paper. She’d definitely become one of New Zealand’s heroes.
Below, summing up this era with Lorde on the cover of a local paper accompanied by a packet of chocolates from a local favorite of ours: Devonport Chocolates.
Coming Next: Our Favorite Auckland and North Shore Eateries. –Cyndi
