Saturday Day Trips

 Saturday Day Trips

For Kathy's birthday on September 14 we took the bus from Takapuna across the bridge to downtown Auckland. It was a misty day but we enjoyed a stroll along the harbor. At one point the bridge was closed so we took a free "ferry" across to the other side. We walked around downtown a bit more trying to find the lighthouse on the map, but found it was instead an "artwork [by Michael Parekowhai] in the form of a 1950s family home." 

The view from the bus to downtown Auckland

"The Lighthouse"

View from the wharf

The little ferry ride

The next weekend we drove up to Mairangi Bay, a little beach town about 15 minutes north. Our goal: to eat (and take home) some of the best pies in New Zealand. But these are not desert pies but rather what we would call pot pies. We bought a couple warm to eat at the beach and a couple cold to take home for later. The Mairangi Bay Bakery pies win the National Pie Awards almost every year and we are now devoted followers!

Pie eating at the beach!

A Silver Gull looking for a handout

Another Saturday we took a drive to a Saturday market in one of Auckland's southern suburbs. We were greatly impressed by the size of the produce but the shoppers habit of touching each and every item put Kurt off of buying.

Cabbage

Califlower