In search of the perfect bag

Posted on by J&L

June 21, 2023

For today, the last day of our Auckland getaway, we planned to take it easy. Sadly, I forgot how much walking is involved with shopping. So another day where we arrived back at our accommodation shuffling. Still, it was a great day, not least because it included a train trip, completing the AT triple of ferry, bus and train. Love that combo of AT Hop card and the Gold card.

Our destination (after coffee and pain au chocolat) was DressMart in Onehunga. Tawa, eat your heart out. The Onehunga outlet complex is shopping on steroids. Talk about spoilt for choice. We both bought backpacks — L’s to replace his current 40L travel backpack, me a smaller day bag which (I hope) will fold down sufficiently to pack into my Osprey Fairview 40L. I’m not a great shopping aficionado, but this trip was fun and well worth the walking.

Once back in the central city, we checked out the library and the adjacent art gallery. At the gallery, we happened upon a superb exhibition of works from the Tate in London, entitled Light from the Tate: 1700s to Now. I’ll include a few photos but they don’t come anywhere near doing justice to the works, so I suggest you go online and check it out (see https://tinyurl.com/5n8a2nhp). If I had to name a favourite, it would be Yellow versus Purple (2003) by Olafur Eliasson, followed closely (in no particular order) by Liquid Reflections (1968) by Liliana Lijn; Interior, Sunlight on the Floor (1906) by Vilhelm Hammershel; Swinging (1925) by Wassily Kandinsky; and … just one last, though there are more I could include … Stardust Particle (2014) by Olafur Eliasson.

All in all, as Bob (aka L) would say, a grand day out. Tomorrow, it is the long ride home.

Here’s a few photos — more than I’d usually include, but put my indulgence down to fond last-night reminiscences.

This and the following two photos are of the courtyard where we had coffee this morning. Several small gardens, all absolutely superb, and the sum greater than the individual parts.
Onehunga
St James theatre, viewed from the library
Outside the library
This photo from inside the library looking out to the forecourt does not do this sculpture justice. Called Guide Kaiarahi, by Reuben Paterson, and set in the forecourt pool, it is just stunning. The brochure describes it as comprising “hundreds of irisdescent crystals: Inspired by the legend of a phantom waka, this shimmering 10-metre-high installation navigates the journey from Papatuanuku to Ranginui”. Below is another photo of this installation.
Liquid Reflections, Liliane Lign. Again, the photo doesn’t do the work justice. There are two smaller balls in the white orb that don’t show up in this photo. Check out it out online to see the full effect.
Here’s the first of three photos to try and give some idea of why I was so captivated by this work, Yellow versus Purple (Olafur Ellasson, 2003). But you really need to be there and see the movement to capture the magic of it.
Morceau Accrochant (2004), by Pae White — a hanging mobile installation
Stardust Particle (2014) by Olafur Eliasson. This is another work that needs to be viewed in action to get the full effect. I loved it.

And to finish, here’s a couple of street photos of what I reckon could be deemed art installations in their own right.

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading our blog. Keep checking as there’s more to come. By the way, despite the forecast, it was a warm and mainly fine day. There was apparently a shower — but we were in the art gallery at the time. Put it down to visitors’ luck.