June 19, 2023
Yes, no ferries today. Instead a walk in the park. Plus a bit of pavement pounding.
We started the day with a coffee and croissant in a cafe (1920s Cafe) and finished at a bar (the Brit). In between we walked … and walked … and walked. So much so I’m exhausted. I half expected Fitbit to tell me again I was an overachiever in the steps department. It didn’t. But it did tell me I’d earned a medal, so I’ll go with that.
After coffee, we checked out the walk from our accommodation to the Strand station, ready for Thursday when we head home. Unsurprisingly we took the long way round (i.e. we misinterpreted the directions), but we finally got the short route sussed — the walk takes all of about ten minutes, provided you turn left instead of right as you head out the building.
From there we walked up Parnell Rise, though the Carlaw Park development and on through the domain to the Auckland War Memorial Museum (top photo). Highlights included a Maori cultural performance and the Robin Morrison: Road Trip exhibition of 50 of his South Island photographs. Both brilliant. We also had a look at the winter gardens — the chrysanthemums caught my eye, even though they were going over. From there it was the long walk home, over the Grafton bridge, along K Road and Queen Street and evenutally to Britomart and home. A decent enough walk for a couple of dawdlers.
Off Highway One 