Day 79 - Football fields with great views

If you could play football on a pitch with views like this, why wouldn't you?

Day 79 - Rialto cinemas

The best art cinema chain in New Zealand and a haven for pretentious film snobs like me who'd rather see something in Croatian than a Hollywood action movie...

Day 78 - Street art

No one likes criminally motivated graffiti, but there are a significant number of seemingly authorised works of street art in Auckland that demand recognition.

Day 76 - Oranges and lemons

Citrus fruits grow well in New Zealand and we're lucky enough to have some blooming orange and lemon trees in garden. Handy if you have a craving for a fresh juice or lemon tea.

Day 75 - Lots and lots of rainbows

The locals look at me and my fellow ex-pats a bit strangely when we exclaim joyfully at the sight of a rainbow. That's because, further to my last post, the highly changeable weather means rainbows are extremely common in New Zealand, whereas back home you might only see one a handful of times a year. Suffice to say, they make me fondly recall the Wizard of Oz.

Day 74 - Sunlight after a rainstorm

Auckland is known for its 'four seasons in a day' schizophrenic weather, and while it can play havoc with your weekend plans, those moments when the sun suddenly bursts through after a heavy deluge are always magical.

Day 73 - Wood for winter fires

It's the time of year when everyone starts stocking up on their firewood supplies to feed their Rayman's and pot-bellied stoves ahead of the winter chill. While I'm still struggling to adapt to the lack of domestic central heating over here, I do think there's something magical about this more old-fashioned method of keeping warm.

Day 72 - Allpress coffee

We're pretty spoilt for choice when it comes to coffee in Auckland, but if you had to select the finest purveyor of roasted beans it would hard to look much further than Allpress, who are deservedly renowned not only for the quality of their coffee product but also the expertise of the baristas. Though their beans are significantly more expensive than the ones you can buy in the supermarket, I try to make the effort to visit Allpress's Ponsonby outlet as often as I can for the best coffee in town.

Day 71 - The Auckland Museum

By some distance Auckland's grandest building, the Auckland War Memorial Museum, which stands proud on top of the Domain, recalls the US White House or, further back in time, an Ancient Roman pantheon. It's at its most impressive at night though, when its columns are illuminated spectacularly.

Day 70 - Feijoas

I'd never heard of this strange green fruit in the UK, but over here it's hard to escape their distinct aroma. While I'm yet to adapt fully to their unique flavour in raw form, I have been known to enjoy the odd feijoa cake or cider from time to time...

Day 69 - The drawing in of autumn

After what feels like the longest summer in history, autumn has finally arrived with two days of non-stop rain, wind and falling leaves. It's not such a distinctive season over here - you almost don't notice it creeping up on you - when when such a verdant green landscape does start to turn crisper and yellower it can be a sight to behold.

Day 68 - Tree roots

 

I've always been struck by the way the roots of certain types of New Zealand tree seem to stretch out wildly like the squirming tentacles of a squid or jellyfish. And there's something almost volcanic about this one in Cornwall Park, its roots spilling outwards like a lava flow down the side of a mountain.

Day 67 - Garden centre cafes

I can't claim to be an avid gardener or be any sort of expert of horticulture, but I do enjoy the odd trip to a garden centre over here, not least because most of them have bloody good cafes with cabinets stacked full of cake-y delights. Which are only acceptable if I burn off the calories afterwards with a spot of weeding...

Day 66 - Views across city rooftops

There are some great views across the rooftops of Auckland's CBD, many of them restricted to private apartments and offices. This one from a flat in St Mary's Bay particularly struck me as it suggested a city much more built up and industrial than it often feels on the ground.

Day 65 - The map of New Zealand

I love maps. Maps are great. Particularly those of foreign countries you're exploring for the first time. The New Zealand map is especially fascinating, with so many odd bumps and nooks and peninsulars up and down its spindly length. Looking at this map pinned up on our lounge wall, it reminds me how much of the country I'm still to explore.

Day 64 - Only occasional traffic jams

Motorway traffic jams were a way of life back home in the UK. In Auckland, though the arterial routes in and out of the city do get a big clogged up at rush hour times, it's very rare for your car to come to a complete standstill. So tonight, when it did happen, I felt grateful that that horrible sense of behind-the-wheel powerlessness is no longer a daily occurrence.

Day 63 - Daylight saving

Daylight saving goes on for a little longer over here, with dark evenings only needing to be endured for a five month period between early April and late September. The rest of the year, sights like this one at 7pm or later are commonplace, and as you'll have seen from many of the snaps on this blog, NZ does love a good sunset.

Day 62 - Suburban market days

Every so often in Auckland, suburban high streets like those of Remuera and Mount Eden are transformed into markets where shopkeepers and budding entrepreneurs can come and set up roadside stalls and take advantage of the guaranteed crowds. It's a great idea and brings energy and excitement to parts of the city that can often be fairly sedate.

Day 61 - The Birdcage

Despite being located right underneath a motorway bridge, the recently re-opened and refurbished Birdcage pub opposite Victoria Park is already proving a favourite spot for an after-work or lunchtime brew.

Day 60 - Twin Oak Drive

One of Cornwall Park's most striking features, Twin Oak Drive is a romanticised version of an English country boulevard that's a favourite with walkers and joggers. As a long and hot summer starts to turn cooler, and the leaves begin to brown and fall, Twin Oak Drive is a vivid reminder of how autumn can be nature's most striking season.

Day 59 - Mount Eden from Mount Hobson

... and here's Mount Eden from another angle, as viewed from the top of one of its neighbouring volcanic bumps, Mount Hobson, at dusk. Magical.

Day 58 - Mount Eden Village

Another of Auckland's urban 'villages', Mount Eden is another favourite for its great cafes (Olafs with its supreme baked goods and Frasers, which stays open till 11pm), dining scene (Michael Van De Elzen's excellent Molten), pubs (Monteith's bar The Cloakroom and the Belgium beer cafe De Poste) and shops (which include the pictured bookshop Time Out, one of the finest in Auckland). All this overlooked by the towering volcanic bump Mount Eden itself, which provides incredible 360 views over the city. What's not to like?

Day 57 - Walks along the beach

Much as I love Britain's rugged unkempt coastline, walks on white sand beaches under brilliant sunshine are not what it's about. They are what New Zealand's about though, and the two islands' seemingly infinite range of seaside beauty spots makes me feel like I'm on a permanent holiday.