Today I went to Gibbs Farm with friends. It’s a place I’ve wanted to visit for several years now and luckily the Auckland Art Gallery emailed me about a fundraising event there. I was with friends at the time when I saw the email, so we were lucky enough to get in quick and book tickets – they always sell out incredibly fast and now I can see why. We were also very lucky with the weather, as it has rained every day for the past week, but today was like an awesome summer’s day, with no rain and plenty of sunshine.
Gibbs Farm is 400 hectares of farmland near the Kaipara Harbour, it’s a privately owned park and home to a world-famous collection of massive sculptures by some of the world’s leading artists, commissioned and curated by Alan Gibbs over the past 30 years.
Please wait for the gallery to fully load before clicking, arrows should appear shortly so you can view each photo, or just click the image to go directly to Flickr.
Luckily this year there were three days between the Easter holidays and Anzac Day, so like many others in New Zealand I took those three days off too. But I didn’t want to stay at home, I wanted something to look forward to so I could set up a countdown of the sleeps till I went away and I wanted to go somewhere I could get away from it all and stare at the ocean.
It took me ages to find somewhere that definitely had an ocean view, was available, and wasn’t hugely overpriced because of school holidays, but after weeks of random searches I found the Castaways Resort which is only just over an hours drive from where I live, and is situated on a cliff overlooking Karioitahi Beach, so it definitely has ocean views.
Prior to and all throughout Easter we had a massive storm Cyclone Tam which brought us a lot of rain and really strong winds, so I was hoping it would all be over by the day I left for the beach… and just in the nick of time, luckily it was. And on Wednesday the weather was picture perfect, warm with no rain or wind so I could sit out on the deck all day enjoying the sunshine and then watch an amazing sunset that evening. It was like a dream come true and I felt incredibly lucky. My villa and the view were stunning.
After lasting 15 years working for the same company, I deserved a treat, plus we get long service leave after 15 years so I needed to use it and I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate this milestone, than a trip to Sydney for a holiday and some shopping in the brand-new biggest Lego store in the world. Turned out this was a great way to celebrate and everything was awesome with many highlights, there were no disappointments and everything went as planned or even better than I hoped for.
Day One – Tuesday 27th of February
Up super early to drive myself to the airport and check in to the Park & Ride car park, it was raining and there were many holdups on the way so when I got there and found a spot I was very relieved. So relieved I didn’t really take much notice of where I had parked till I saw a huge reminder notice asking everyone if they had taken note of where they parked, so I took a photo of the area where my car was focussing mainly on the big black building in the background (more on this at the end of this blog). Luckily it had stopped raining so I didn’t get wet while dragging my bag to the bus stop. The bus turned up after a minute of waiting, I got on and the very kind bus driver even grabbed my suitcase so I didn’t have to try and lift it. And so my holiday officially begun where I can start to sit back and relax, everything going forward is out of my hands and I had plenty of time to relax and grab breakfast after dropping off my bag and clearing security.
Great flight over and as luck would have it, the lady seated next to me was very skinny and took up no room at all. After clearing customs etc I went in search of the pick up point for Uber cars, however that was harder than I thought and not that cheap so I ended up catching the train to Central Station and an $11 Uber to Darling Harbour where the Park Royal hotel was excited to see me (even at 2:00 rather than 3:00) and a fabulous upgrade to the Club Floor awaited. The upgrade was on a standby if available basis for only $60 extra and you had to accept the offer a few days in advance. The upgrade gave me access to the Club Lounge with stunning views, fully cooked breakfasts, snacks and refreshments throughout the day and 2 hours of free drinks from 5:00 – 7:00 every night. My suite had TWO toilets!
After falling in love with my room I had a whole afternoon ahead of me and I wanted to suss out how long it would take me to get to the Opera House in time for tomorrow morning’s tour, so I set off up the hill from Darling Harbour to George St, jumped on the light rail train and went all the way to Circular Quay. When I turned a corner and saw the Opera House I was filled with joy, even though I have seen it several times before I still get goosebumps when I see it in real life. I took a walk around it, took some photos and headed along the wharf to find somewhere to eat. I ended up in Wahlburgers, had never been before even though we have one in Auckland now. It had a really cool concept where you sat at the table, downloaded the app, ordered food and paid for it all within the app. However the app didn’t like my card so I had to use ApplePay which was mega easy and cool, but that meant I was paying in NZ dollars and there would be an exchange rate difference & comission – oh well I’m on holiday, so never mind. The food was great and the beer very refreshing.
After that I wandered around Circular Quay then headed for the train to take me to Town Hall Station (nearest stop to the hotel) & Woolworths to buy beer and snacks. Shockingly that Woolworths wasn’t licensed to sell alcohol, but luckily right next door was a small liquor store attached to a pub so I bought beer from there and I’m pretty sure I bought beer from there back in 2015.
Day Two – Wednesday 28th of February
Wide awake very early I think because of the time difference & the excitement of trying out the free cooked breakfast in the Club Lounge and then the Sydney Opera House Tour. The breakfast was amazing and the view was great.
After that I had a nice leisurely stroll up to the train which took me all the way to the Opera House. This was the second time I have done the Opera House tour and it was really different from the first time which was cool and this time I finally got to see inside the main Concert Hall, which has been a bucket list item since 1981 (not that I had a bucket list back then). Loved the tour and I’d definitely do it again if I ever go back to Sydney.
After the tour I headed back to the hotel to collect my bag then set off for a wander around the shops mainly to check out the Apple Store and the brand new Lego Store. This was my third attempt at checking out this particular Apple Store, in 2015 we were too early and didn’t have enough time to wait for it to open before we needed to check out of the hotel and in 2020 it was being renovated, so this time it was open and I could buy stuff!
The Lego store (biggest in the world) was everything I hoped it would be, but I left my Lego passport back in the hotel so decided to just wander around but come back tomorrow with my passport and buy something then.
Day Three – Thursday 29th of February
Today a heatwave was scheduled for Sydney, so just as well my plan for the day revolved around shopping in airconditioned stores. The heatwave was even on the news last night warning everyone to take care and stay hydrated and the high was going to be 39 degrees. It only got to 35 but that was way hotter than anything I’m used to, but it sure did look like a stunning day outside.
After an amazing complimentary breakfast, I headed out to Darling Harbour and the Chinese Friendship Garden which I figured would be a nice cool and shaded spot to start off while waiting for the shops to open. However that plan was very short lived coz there was a long walk to the garden and none of it was undercover and it was already 25 degrees and way too hot for me. I found out what the cool shaped building next to my hotel was (above left pic) – it’s simply called the W and they use words starting with W to name their rooms, such as the Wow suite and the Wonderful room. After seeing that the walk to the gardens without cover was too much, I headed for the nearest bridge which was the Pyrmont Bridge (a heritage-listed swing bridge) to get me to the heart of the shops.
First stop was Myers – I figured they would have a nice air conditioned cafe for me to sit and enjoy an iced coffee. But on the way to the cafe I discovered they had Penhaligon’s fragrances which you can’t buy in NZ so I checked them out and discovered they now have their very own shop in the QVB mall, so I decided to go there on the way back to the hotel. The cafe was great, their Lego store was cool and the Westfield mall was all decked out in rainbow colours for Sydney Mardi Gras.
From there I headed out the back door and ended up on Castlereagh Street, this was symbolic because yesterday while I was wandering around the Apple Store a friend in Australia messaged me asking me if I was anywhere near Castlereagh St coz there had been a shooting there and I should avoid the area. But I had no idea where it was and everyone around me was carrying on like nothing was wrong so I figured it was quite far from where I was – turns out it was just one block away! I saw straight ahead there was a beautiful park and a massive cathedral so I headed for that and stood in the shade for a bit.
From there I had a wander around the stunning David Jones department store. It was like stepping back in time to the fifties glamour era. It had a wonderful Lego shop, a massive bank of about 10 lifts all in a row and the most visually stunning shoe store like nothing I’ve ever seen before. I only ended up on the shoes floor coz I was looking for the men’s loo.
After that I headed to the Lego store and found something to buy – this time I had my Lego passport and when I told the salesperson she said, “Oh I hope it’s not your real passport”. Apparently a lot of adults see the sign and think they can get a Lego stamp in their real passport. I bought the Planet Earth and Moon in Orbit set, (a) because it wasn’t that heavy and (b) because it wasn’t that big and would easily fit in my suitcase, plus I’d never seen it before and didn’t know it existed. Next I went to Uniqlo for clothes that a couple of friends recommended big time, but by then I was hungry and so hot and the crowds were beginning to annoy me, so I found a pair of shorts to buy and escaped. On the way to the QVB building I stopped into Dymocks and enquired if they had a book I’ve been trying to find in NZ for years and they actually had one copy left yay.
To finish off my fantastic shopping experience I found the Penhaligon’s shop in the QVB building and it was stunning and they had exactly what I was looking for in several sizes (Myers only had the big size) and when I told the salesperson I was from NZ so going on her mailing list probably was not a good idea she loaded up my bag with many free samples!
Once back in the hotel I had several beers and enjoyed the view while I contemplated what to do next. Then I realised I hadn’t been to the Club Lounge yet to try out the free snacks and all day beveridges, I was the only person in there so that was nice.
After checking the time and cooling off I headed out for one last walkabout to Darling Harbour and the Madame Tussauds exhibition.
The ticket guy thought I was a bit strange trying to get in that late in the day – it was about 4:30 and they closed at 5:00, but I knew that would be plenty of time for me and there wouldn’t be any crowds. It was cool but often felt eerie because I constantly felt like someone was watching me and I’d turn around and it would just be a wax figure. The pic above right where someone is taking a photo of something had me fooled for ages – I waited very patiently for them to take the pic so I could get past them.
From there I thought it would be cool for old times sake to catch a ferry from Darling Harbour to Circular Quay – check out my 2015 & 2020 blogs. As soon as I turned up to the ferry peer and got on, it took off and the breeze was lovely. Once at Circular Quay I got some frozen yoghurt something that’s hard to find now in Auckland, then took a really long walk all the way around the quay and under the bridge. After that I headed back to the hotel.
Day Four – Friday 1st of March
My last day in Sydney – I thought about going for a walk around Darling Harbour one last time but in the heat without shade and not a whole lot of time left before I headed to the airport, I figured it was best to have a very leisurley luxurious breakfast in the Club Lounge and then take my time doing coffee while packing my bag.
Air NZ sent me an email saying my OneUp bid had been sucessful so I had been upgraded to Premium Economy OMG – I’ve only ever flown Economy Class, so this would be my first time experiencing something a bit better than Economy Class.
It was sad leaving my fabulous hotel suite behind (how will I cope with just the one loo when I get home LOL). The Uber came quickly and there was only a little wait for the train from Central to the airport. Check in was easy and so was passport control and security. The flight was delayed about 30 minutes but as I was flying Premium I got to board early so it really didn’t matter and for the first time ever I got to turn left after boarding!
Premium Economy was indeed quite classy, with proper cutlery, glasses and plates, bigger meals, lots of drinks, big comfy seats, flash headsets and only 21 seats in the cabin.
Passport control and security was fast and easy, and the Park and Ride bus turned up as soon as I got to the stop. But the bus actually stops to let everybody off at a different stop from the one you board after parking your car, but I thought I was at the same stop and headed for my car in completely the wrong direction. Once I got to the spot where my car was supposed to be I realsied I was definitely not in the same area I had dropped my car off at. Luckily I had taken a photo of where I parked but it focused on the large black building in the background – and in the dark that couldn’t be seen and I had no idea where my car was. The car park was massive and dark and I was the only person wandering around dragging a big suitcase behind them – thank goodness it wasn’t raining! I took a closer look at the photo I took of where my car was parked and noticed a tiny sign saying I was in the Blue Zone C – but I was in the Z zone – the other end of the car park, that’s when I realised there are two bus stops!
On the 20th of February I went with a friend to Hobbiton, it’s about a two hour drive from Auckland and somewhere I’ve always thought about going to, but it’s not cheap so the price has always put me off. However my friend read an article about Hobbiton and how they may have to close because the number of tourists is way down thanks to Covid and they might not be able to continue with the upkeep. So we decided to go just in case we never get the chance and that would be a real shame.The tour bus was full, lucky we booked. The very brief bus ride is basically to get you across the road from the meeting point, shop and cafe and in to the farmland where the movie was made (it was filmed on privately owned land). The guided tour starts the minute the bus takes off – they play a DVD with music from the film and scenes from the movie to remind you of what areas we were driving past looked like in the movie. It set the scene and got us excited, it was strangely emotional. It also made me want to watch the first movie all over again, luckily there is a big gift shop and I could buy the DVD.
The bus ride ended at an instantly recognisable stone path where either Bilbo or Frodo met Gandalf and excitedly we set off.
It was exactly like in the movie – the details were amazing and I understood how the cost of maintaining the movie set justified the price of entry. It was well worth it and I’d happily go again.
Eventually we came to Bagend where Bilbo lived and I couldn’t actually believe I was seeing it for real.
The tree above Bilbo’s house is the famous tree that featured a lot in the movie – turns out it’s not real!
After that we headed to the Green Dragon Inn for a complimentary beverage – the beer they were serving is brewed by the Good George brewery in Hamilton, you can also do a tour of their brewery.
After that the tour was over and we headed for the bus. On the way back we crossed paths with another tour party just setting out and it made me appreciate how lucky we were to be on the tour with reduced numbers. At times it felt like we had the whole place to ourselves and we could walk around at a very leisurely pace. But I imagine in the height of the tourist season the place would have been packed and the tours would leave every 10 minutes rather than every hour or so.
From there we set off for the Hamilton Gardens and a tour of the Good George brewery.
At the end of November I got to travel to Dunedin for work, which is where one of my best friends lives, so I was very lucky to get down there and have 4 fun filled nights with my friend.
Because of Covid 19 I haven’t been on a plane or travelled outside of Auckland since February and I had some reservations and was a wee bit nervous and my biggest concern was – how do you eat and drink on a plane when you have to wear a mask? Turns out you just take it off!
Sunday 22 November – Day one
My friend Kelly picked me up from the airport and we drove straight to my hotel to drop my bag off. I was staying at the Quest (serviced apartments) and there was nobody at reception, I had to ring them and get them to open the door remotely which didn’t work, so eventually they had to send someone to open the door. So glad I didn’t need to go to the toilet.
From there we went to Kelly’s home where I got to meet her husband, read a story to her twins and have KFC for dinner. Then she dropped me back to the hotel.
Monday 23 November – Day two
After a very short walk from the hotel I turned a corner and saw the Dunedin Court and very famous train station. The weather was stunning, the buildings looked like something out of a movie and I thought how lucky am I to be working here for the week.
At lunchtime I raced out to take photos of as much as I could before getting something to eat and heading back to work. First stop was the Dunedin Train Station which is apparently the second most photographed building in New Zealand (the first being the Sky Tower in Auckland, apparently).
Across the road from the train station is the old Cadbury factory and a cool old building with the names of what it used to be called many years ago. This amused me because when I was a kid I belonged to the Hudson’s Cookie Bear club and I had forgotten all about that.
Then I headed past the stunning Dunedin Court to look for some lunch.
After work I walked to the Otago University to meet Kelly and have dinner in the Lone Star restaurant. After dinner we walked back to my hotel past more beautiful buildings and fascinating historical shops.
Tuesday 24 November – Day three
Another stunning day in Dunedin – which made me feel so lucky because Auckland was suffering from flooding and my garden needed it thanks to the stupid water restrictions.
After work Kelly got dropped off outside my hotel and we headed to La Porchetta for dinner with Bridget. Afterwards Kelly and I went back to my hotel for a couple of wines while we waited for her bus home to arrive.
Wednesday 25 November – Day four
Another stunning day in Dunedin with perfect weather.
At lunchtime I headed back to the railway station to check out the inside of the magnificent building.
After work Kelly picked me up and drove me all the way to Larnach Castle. This was something I have wanted to see for many years and has now been ticked off my bucket list – thank you so much Kelly. We knew the castle would be closed by the time we got there but I hoped I would still be able to see it and get a photo of it maybe peeking through a hedge or something. The man at the gate said we couldn’t go inside but we could definitely walk around it and enjoy the gardens. And it was worth paying the garden entry fee because at last there was the castle in all its glory and the gardens were beautiful too.
From there we headed to Saint Clair for some dinner with a fab ocean view.
After that Kelly drove me back to the city for a walk around the amazing Otago University buildings.
Thursday 26 November – Day five
My last day in Dunedin and as you can see it was a stunner – vivid blue sky and not a cloud in sight.
Then it was hometime – the airport was kinda groovy and had some cool stuff to look at, my fave was the old NAC Boeing 737.
The castle that proudly sits at the centre of Disneyland in California is NOT the same as the one that is in Walt Disney World in Florida or Tokyo Disneyland. It’s also not the same one as Lego used to create their model that I built at Xmas time.
The original castle in Disneyland California is known as the Sleeping Beauty Castle, here is a photo I took of it when I went there in 2012.
When Walt Disney World was built they used the Cinderella Castle which is much taller and more spectacular and it is this castle which features in the Disney Logo and at the start of the Disney movies. When Tokyo Disneyland was built they copied the more spectacular Cinderella Castle as its centrepiece. Here’s a photo I took of it way back in 1985.
The Lego Disney Castle I built this Xmas is the Cinderella Castle.
Apparently Walt Disney was inspired by the Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany while on holiday there before construction began of Disneyland and based the Sleeping Beauty Castle on it, it is also rumoured that the German castle was his inspiration for the Cinderella movie castle. They both have turrets with blue tops but to me the Sleeping Beauty castle has a closer resemblance to the German one.
There is also an urban myth that Disney have to pay Germany (or the owner of the castle) royalties – but I think it’s just that… an urban myth.
Last weekend I was lucky enough to be invited to stay with friends in their lovely home in Whanganui. What a great weekend it was. A friend picked me up early from work on Friday so we could avoid the Auckland traffic and enjoy a couple of beers at the airport before jumping on the plane. After possibly one too many beers we boarded the plane and very quickly made friends with the guys in the row in front of us and kept most of the passengers very amused the whole way (it was an intimate little plane). Something about buying houses, finding a good bar to drink in with lots of homeowners had us in stitches for a long time.
One of our kind hosts picked us up from the airport and took us straight to the supermarket so we could purchase more alcohol. Whanganui New World had the jackpot of wine selections – they sold BOTH of my faves. These days it’s getting harder to find one or the other depending on the supermarket and the last supermarket I went in to with the biggest selection of wine ever had neither!
We had dinner and a few drinks at a lovely neighbours house before settling in for many many laughs and quite a few drinks at the friends’ home.
The next day we drove round Whanganui looking at houses for sale, eating lunch at the Citadel – a very groovy café, walked through an amazing succulent garden many residents had got together and planted. After dinner we did the real “Netflix and Chill” – I don’t have Netflix so it was cool to see what all the fuss is about.
For a treat on our last day we got taken out to an amazing garden in the countryside. On the way we stopped at the recycling centre – you have to do your own recycling in Whanganui. There was an impressive mural on the fence made out of recycled bottle tops.
Last stop before the garden was for a coffee from a funky coffee shop called Article, which sold groovy second hand stuff. I really wanted to stay for a while and soak it all in, plus wander around the glass blowing gallery next door, but we had no time for such luxuries – we were on a mission to get out to the gardens and have a wee picnic.
The Paloma Gardens were awesome – fascinating, clever, unusual and beautiful. There is a large glasshouse with many types of cacti.
There’s even a Garden of Death, not my favourite thing but I have to admit it was a very clever concept and well done.
There is an unusual conservatory type area with chandeliers and a peacock.
Unusual art, beautiful flowers and pottery is everywhere – you could walk for hours to try and see everything but we did a short walk.
Then… just when I thought I’d seen everything the garden had to offer, we crossed to the other side of the driveway and found a fabulous setting for a wedding.
The fence near the entrance has lots of cool phrases painted on it, so even the driveway is fun.
On the way back to town we stopped at a local pub for a beer and a bite to eat. Then we went to the Wintergarden and lake to feed the ducks rice – because apparently bread is bad for them, but the ducks don’t know that and didn’t seem all that excited about the rice.
Then it was time to go home. The flight home was very quiet and subdued compared to the flight down. But it was on a really old plane which I’m sure had been borrowed from an aircraft museum, it was very cool though and quite spacious.
I always feel very lucky to have a job I really love and there have been many highlights, but the last four weeks have been amazing. I got to work in Christchurch for four whole weeks and fly home for the weekends.
Luckily on one of the flights I got to sit in seat 1A. It was so cool, I felt like I was part of the flight crew.
The cathedral is still broken and it’s been like that for so long it’s become very overgrown, but one night on the way home from work the evening sun was shining just at the right time and it looked quite stunning.
I even made time to go to the art gallery and soak up some culture.
On my last weekend I made it to the Gondolas for a grand view of the city and harbour.
One particularly clear morning I even discovered the clouds on the horizon weren’t clouds after all – it was actually snow on the mountains.
The Crowne Plaza Hotel had only just opened and they had really good opening special prices making it affordable enough even for my work to pay for. The room was amazing, I never wanted to leave.
I don’t normally take photos of food I eat but the hotel food was truly spectacular, delicious and very well priced. Look how beautifully the chocolate cake was presented.
And the view was stunning.
After work one night I walked up the road to investigate an amazing playground my nephew told me all about, apparently it’s one of the biggest in New Zealand. It was very cool and I would’ve loved to play there if I was a kid.
After that on my way back to the hotel I found I funky street with old looking shops, bars and restaurants. But most importantly I found a wine shop!
During a lunch break on a beautiful sunny day I went for a walk to take some pics of the cool buildings near where I was working.
A friend recently bought a new car and was keen to do a wee road trip somewhere and I was very keen to go to New Plymouth to see Mt Taranaki, the Pukekura Gardens lit up for Xmas and the brand new Len Lye Gallery, both of which I read about in the Air New Zealand magazine a couple of months ago – so it seemed like the perfect place for a road trip.
Our first stop for coffee was in the Clock World & Longitude Cafe in Ohaupo, which is somewhere just south of Hamilton. The Clock World shop was awesome with many fabulous clocks but the cafe left a lot to be desired. The service was incredibly slow, the person behind the counter was kinda rude and prefered to organise her cakes into some sort of order rather than serving us and the coffee wasn’t all that great.
That was our one and only stop on the way to New Plymouth, just as well I’d packed a gift box of Kahlua Chocolates or I may have starved to death. It was a lovely easy drive with lots of great scenery, but the weather wasn’t great and I was a tad disappointed that I couldn’t see THE mountain at all. I was hoping for better weather the next day so I could see it.
We checked in to the The Devon Hotel which was really lovely and set off in search of a snack to tide us over till dinner.
Second dinner was in the hotel restaurant which was a glorious buffet and it felt like half of the the town also went there for dinner – children and all for a Xmas dinner treat I guess, coz it was packed and people I spoke to all lived in New Plymouth. Anyway the food was great!
After that we set off for Pukekura Park which the TSB Bank turns into a “Festival of Lights” from the 13th of December to the end of January. It was truly spectacular and well worth the drive from Auckland.
After that on my way back to the hotel I found I funky street with old looking shops, bars and restaurants. But most importantly I found a wine shop!
New Horizons 