Auckland has finally been freed after about three weeks of alert level three lockdown. I am hopping on a plane out of here and am heading onto new things and to catch up with more family friends. I am currently sitting in the Auckland Airport waiting to board my flight to Queenstown, which is a big ski and adventure town on the South Island. From my understanding, and never having been there before, I would label it to be the “Aspen” or “Jackson Hole” of New Zealand. It is supposed to be a fabulous place and I cannot wait to get down there! It’s snowing there at the moment so fingers crossed that this flight can go as planned despite the weather. Before I leave, I wanted to do kind of a catch-all post of updates from the last couple of weeks in lockdown in Auckland staying with the Seniors.
August 16
Today Lucy and I drove up the road to Farmer Joe Produce which is owned by our family friend, Kevin Joe, who was my dad’s best man. It was so lovely getting to see him and his absolutely lovely shop. I remember Kevin from when he visited us in Athens ages ago, probably 10 or so years ago now! Kevin put together the most gorgeous goodie basket from his shop for me, being the daughter of his dear friend Warren. I mean we are talking some of the most gorgeous produce I have ever seen from one of the kindest people I have ever met. If you ever find yourself in Auckland, you must hit up Farmer Joe!
Today was also a big day for me because I bought my first legal bottle of wine from the market at age 20 woohoo!! I didn’t have my passport with me, but they accepted my foreign driver’s license as sufficient ID—which they normally wouldn’t—because I was “way over” the legal drinking age of 18. I still can’t get over being classified as “way over”. That was a new one!
August 20
We went for a socially distanced walk along the rocks from Takapuna Beach to Milford today with Lucy’s friends and neighbors, Jo and her daughter, Kendal (who’s just older than I am). It was so fun getting to meet more people as well as to get out and have some exercise outside on the beach. It felt a little less like lockdown that day which was refreshing. Takapuna Beach is gorgeous—I feel like everything here is. It was a beautiful clear day which also meant we had the best view of the volcanic island, Rangitoto, across the water.
August 21 & 22
We had a fun cocktail hour with the neighbors! After a week in lockdown we expanded our bubble to officially include Jo and Kendal. We had endless cocktails and platters, and I was able to start familiarizing myself with all of the big Kiwi drinks and sayings (lol thanks, Kendal). The second day of cocktail hour lasted about eight hours with just Kendal and me. We had so many laughs and it was just so great hanging out with another person my own age after so long. Not to mention that I managed to find probably one of the only kiwis who loves country music. Getting to hang out with Kendal and blast country music (and her favorite “Wagon Wheel”) had me feeling like a twenty-year-old again!
August 24
Lucy took me over to Devonport today to walk around town and up Mount Victoria. Reaching the top of Mount Victoria, a volcanic cone previously used as an army fort, I was astonished by the 360-view. It overlooked the harbor, the city center, Devonport and Rangitoto. The view was incredibly gorgeous, but a bit chilly from all of the wind. Later today things took a turn when it was announced that Auckland would be extending its lockdown, which meant my trip to Queenstown had to be pushed back. Thank goodness I paid extra for a flexi ticket! It wasn’t the best news for the start of the week, but there were definitely worse places to be than in NZ staying with a fantastic family. We had a lovely dinner at the Senior’s, despite the news, with divine home cooked lamb rack and passionfruit cocktails.
August 25
Walking under the Auckland Harbour Bridge today was incredible. We had the perfect timing between rainfalls and were able to catch the full rainbow that arced across the harbor and city center. I’ve never before seen anything quite like that. I don’t think I had even ever seen a full rainbow. After that wonderful view we went for a walk around Tuff crater, a volcanic crater, which was quite nice as well.
August 28
We had a second go at a weekend of drinks with the neighbors which was a blast. In their backyard they actually have a shipping container that they have converted into a bar. They call it Bar 5 and it is so well done and such an awesome addition to an already lovely home. It also serves as a great spot for photos, which of course Kendal and I took advantage of! I was sad to say goodbye to Kendal, we were definitely fast friends. I can’t wait to get back to Auckland and get to catch up with her and her family again!
August 31
Auckland officially came out of lockdown today!! This meant that I got to go and catch up with Clodagh, my friend from A Bar A Ranch where I worked last summer in Wyoming. I hadn’t seen her since she stayed with me in LA on her way back to NZ in December. It was absolutely great catching up with her and I’m excited to be back in the city at some point so that we can have more time to catch up.
September 1
I said goodbye to the Seniors and goodbye to Auckland for now. I couldn’t have asked for a better family to spend lockdown and the past few weeks with, but it’s time for the next adventure!
xx syd
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