Today was a free day and it was raining. So we took it slow. Some slept in, some worked on blogs catching you up, some made all of us breakfast, some read and planned their day.
About 11ish we all were ready to venture forth. Not together, not totally separate. Dotty and Gammy had a grand adventure and Jim and I had an adventure. We met in the middle and separated again. Many stories and pictures to share. April and Dotty set off to find a yarn store on Queen Street.
As we ventured up Victoria St. the Sky Tower began to loom above. April suggested that we go inside and check things out. We decided to take the elevator to the 51st floor. We opted NOT do do the bungee from the top. Go Figure! The first thing we noticed was the lovely lady selling ice cream. We both decided we deserved a scoop. April got Affogato and Dotty got Plum. Now on to gaze over Auckland. Luckily the sky was fairly clear so the views were spectacular. For the brave, there were glass areas on the floor so that you could look straight down to the sidewalk and buildings 51 floors below. After we had spent time taking photos and admiring the view from the 51st floor we took the elevator up to the Sky Deck on floor 60. We opted not to ride the AI roller coaster that looped and dipped around the tower, but instead watched as a gentleman partook of the experience. Finally back down the elevator to the ground floor which by the way was the lobby of a hotel. The hotel was displaying a $250,000 bright red Lotus. We think it was some type of give away. It weighed more than 50 pounds and the steering wheel was on the wrong side so we decided we could not bring it home with us. How sad! Our journey continued down Victoria Street in search of the elusive possum yarn. We passed, and ventured in to a great clothing store. Everything was brightly colored and called to us. Unfortunately everything in the store was meant for starving models which neither of us can be considered. We finally found Queen St. and the store we had been looking for only to find that they do not have yarn only premade garments. Oh Well. We chatted with a very friendly woman from France. She had started her career as a chiropractor in Australia. She had also lived in Chicago and New York before moving to New Zealand. She told us where to find yarn. It would have been an additional 35 – 40 minute walk so April decided she was done walking and wanted to head back toward the hotel. There was a hotel with a taxi stand across the road so it was decided that Dotty would get dropped off on Parnell St. at the yarn store and April would continue back to the hotel. The yarn store was a success. They had numerous skeins of yarn with Merino wool and possum fur. The New Zealand possum is responsible for killing many birds in New Zealand so people hunt them. The fur is extremely soft. The walk back from Parnell which was an artsy area took me by some beautiful old churches that I had seen from the Sky Tower as well as passed the college with lovely flowers. We all finally met back up at the hotel around 5:00
While Dotty, Flat Jesus, and Gammy were gallivanting around town, Jim and I took to the streets to visit the wharf and find a bookstore. buildings down by the wharf.
Jim had downloaded a walking tour of Auckland. Not just any walking tour but specifically the Engineering Walking tour of Auckland. We were to start with the bridge going from our side of the wharf to the Maritime museum, but …. the bridge had been destroyed/removed/dismantled and a free ferry was put in place. Of course I didn’t have Pony.
We passed by these beacons we had seen on Tuesday and did not know what why they lined the street. Little did we know, they represented those Harbor employees who fought in the wars.
After finding the mall and a bookstore to buy Kai Feasts, a New Zealand cookbook Jim had seen in the gift shop at the Pompallier museum, we had a horrible thirst. We walked up the street, ran into Mommy and Dotty right after they had come down from the Sky Tower and continued on towards a brewery. Mommy mentioned they had passed a brewery and hashery and that is actually where we ended up, The Brewery Co-op.
The Brewery Co-op had thousands of stickers all over and so Jim and I posted our sticker in the bathroom. We ordered some food, had a few beers. Mommy showed up and we ordered another round and some chicken wings. Then it was time to head back to the hotel.
We ended the evening eating in and playing Rummikub.
If I had only known there was a desire for possum fur, I could have sent you breeding stock.