Kia Ora my friends! Welcome to my last full week in New Zealand!
This week is an Auckland urban adventure. I started the week in Albany, about 30 minutes north of Auckland's Central Business District (CBD), finishing the week at the Parnell Hotel and Conference Centre in Parnell. Coincidentally, this is the same hotel I stayed at for my first three nights in New Zealand. The hotel is nestled in a great neighbourhood with easy access to everything I could ever need. The hotel staff are amazing. I even enjoyed my daily plunger coffee with milk (thanks to the reception team) which was missing from my initial visit. I'm blessed to be living my best life.
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| Witty dentistry - love it! |
Oamaru Flashback
Long ago and far away, early November 2024 that is, I visited Oamaru with its Victorian quarter, SteamPunk headquarters and blue penguins. I also stopped in a whiskey shop located in the Victorian section that I forgot to mention. Being a former single malt Scotch whiskey drinker, I thought I would torture myself. I met Hineau (that's her handwriting on the card below) who created the most incredible customer experience. She was determined to find a way I could experience New Zealand's version of the nectar of the gods! She was resourceful. She poured a small amount of alcohol on my palm; having me rub my hands together to vaporize the alcohol and deeply smell the aroma. Hineau created this indelible memory to share with you! Sadly, the only visit artefacts I have is the two-sided card I have included in the photos below.
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Forgive the coffee stains
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What a memorable
experience! |
Now switching back to this week:
- Walked to my heart's content. I resumed my daily walks (about 3 - 4 hours/day) that had disappeared with all the driving.
- Dumped the idea of visiting Auckland Botanic Gardens. The two hour bus ride in each direction dissuaded me.
- Took the time to follow-up on outstanding work I needed to do related to my business activities in Wisconsin. BTW - I had the most extraordinary service experience courtesy of a Wisconsin State employee who helped me set up my online business tax account. The experience reminded me of how I miss my Wisconsin friends!
- Confirmed multiple travel details:
- Booked motel/hotels for my travels from Perth to Esperance in Western Australia
- Fly from Perth to Bali on Feb 25
- I'm now totally excited about my Indonesian travels based on what I learned about the country this week. Bali, Lombok, Java and hopefully Sumatra
- Secured my Indonesian eVisa
- Fly from Jakarta, Indonesia to Colombo, Sri Lanka on March 25
- Fly to Maldives - TBD
Travel Administration
This week's focus is on using credit cards while traveling.
Travel Maps
This is my final New Zealand travel maps update. I've reached the data input limit on the third map, so it's time to stop. I'm omitting a few Auckland destinations from the map that I've recorded the details of in my summary below.
Tracking this past week's travel: North Island Travel - As of January 25, 2025. My North Island travels now appear in two links: December 1 - December 21 and December 22 - January 25, 2025 below.
Please note: I was unable to include taking the ferry from the Auckland Ferry Terminal to Rangitoto Island along with my hiking to the summit, to MacKenzie Bay and return to the island's wharf in the map update.
November 1 - November 30
December 1 - December 21
December 22, 2024 - January 25, 2025
Several adventures were spawned from my need to visit a dentist in Auckland on Monday afternoon to have my crown recemented - Pandoro Panetteria, Hobson Bay Walkway, Eme's Cafe. On the walk back to my hotel from the dental office, I met two women about 20 meters from the cafe. I asked for their help to identify the best place to buy pies as well as get a good cup of coffee. The number one suggestion for pies was visiting Pandoro Panetteria (below) which was within easy walking distance, if you ignore the steep hill (Ayr Road) from where we were talking. Eme's Cafe, just down the sidewalk, was the suggestion for coffee.
The cafe looks out across an open field towards Hobson's Bay. Nice setting for a cafe in a very upscale neighbourhood. There was something about the mug my flat white coffee was served in that caught my attention and imagination. For whatever reason, this coffee was the best tasting coffee since I arrived in New Zealand - all attributable to the mug. Go figure!
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Add to my growing collection of
flat white coffee barista artisty |
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| It's all about this mug! |
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| Temptation abounds |
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| Temptation up close |
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| Love the pastel color - seemed very retro |
Next stop after my enjoying my coffee was walking up a steep hill, which the two locals advised me about, was my first visit (of several subsequent visits) to the famous Pandoro Panetteria. Pies are but one small part of the bakery's business. While my first pie was just okay, the subsequent two pies I had were excellent. My best guess about the difference is the first pie I had must have been in the cabinet for a longer period than the other pies I enjoyed. The three employees I met were Lyndsey from Honduras whose husband was in New Zealand to complete his PhD, Nio who was originally from Thailand and Ruby who was born in New Zealand. BTW - Pandoro is about 800 metres (.5 miles) from my hotel.
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| Sits on the corner of a busy intersection |
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| Inside the shop |
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| Temptation is everywhere! |
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| Sandwiches, desserts and fresh bread plus more |
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| Pie 1 - Steak and Cheese |
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| Pie 2 - Mince and cheese |
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| Pie 3 - Butter chicken |
Mission Bay, which appeared to be a popular beach destination, was about a six km walk, on mostly level ground, from my hotel. Always good to have a destination in mind for a walk. The walk was alongside a busy highway (Tamaki Drive) and bike path.
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| Okahu Beach |
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| Downtown Auckland |
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| Across the bay |
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| Mission Bay beach |
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| Trevor Moss Davis Memorial Fountain |
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| Mission Bay Beach |
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| Rangitoto Island - it's omnipresent! |
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Looking toward Tamaki Drive from
Resolution Point |
Another great walking discovery was the Hobson Bay Walkway close to my hotel. The Walkway is in the same general area as Eme's Cafe. The Walkway was where I also met my newest BFF Helen and her dog Max. I had passed Helen earlier in my walk, greeting her as I passed by. I encountered Helen a second time as I was retracing my steps as I thought I had reached the walk's end point. She stopped me to ask if I wanted to join her and Max in completing the full walk. And off I went with Helen to complete the walk including a short bush walk section. Helen has an adult son and daughter. Apparently, her son-in-law treats her better than her own son. She recounted how cruel people were to her son-in-law during the pandemic because he is Chinese. She spoils her granddaughter whenever she visits them at their home in China - which she has difficulty remembering the city's name. Helen has an artist flair was well as enjoys knitting and crocheting. Our paths diverged after the bush walk and we went our separate ways.
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| Mount Wellington |
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| A bird in the creek |
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| Walkway along Hobson Bay |
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| More walkway |
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| Decisions, decisions |
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Walkway over wetlands leading
to the bay |
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Drats, it's high tide so my walk ends here.
Apparently you can walk along the shore and
exit through another wooden walkway - at low tide |
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Walkway entry point
Down the road, around the corner
a short distance is Eme's Cafe |
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I told you Rangitoto Island is omnipresent in
Auckland photos |
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| Hobson Bay |
My tooth drama with the misbehaving crown on my right upper front tooth resurfaced in the last two weeks. The crown came loose while I was in Gisborne so I was using the temporary cement I received from the Christchurch dental office and toothpaste to keep the tooth in place - with limited success. So limited was my success that the tooth propelled out of my mouth several times while I was speaking including onto a Rangitoto Island path covered in crushed lava. I count myself blessed to successfully retrieve the escaped crown.
The much larger blessing is all the adventures that were originated in my effort to fix the crown issue. First the tooth backstory - with Google Map's capable assistance I found a Lumino dental office relatively nearby on Monday. I figured, given my great experience with the Christchurch Lumino dental team, I may get lucky a second time. The universe was benevolent once again. I was also fortunate to find an appointment for last Friday (Jan 24). In a very strange coincidence, the dentist I was to see was Dr. Clare Dunne. My Christchurch Lumino dentist was Claire McCormack. What are the chances of randomly finding two female dentists with a similar first name? I also now realize that this my first times with a female dentist.
My tooth adventure led me to Pandoro's pies, Eme's Cafe flat white coffee experience, Hobson Bay Walkway and meeting Helen and Max. One last adventure to share. As I was walking back to my hotel from the dental office I had a brief exchange with a man walking towards his home. When I responded that I was having the best day ever to his question about how I was, he stopped in his tracks and returned to shake my hand. He professed he was unable to say the same about his day and returned on his way.
Finally, during my Friday dental office visit, Helen at the front desk introduced me to the Blue Rose Cafe where I could find my first hungi pie. More about the Blue Rose Cafe below. Helen was instrumental in scheduling my Friday appointment. All the week's magic started so simply!
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This photo of Mount Hobson, near the dental office,
is a reminder of what I sometimes miss. It took
three walks before I saw Mount Hobson. Yikes! |
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Auckland dental office where my crown was
recemented |
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| Gratitude to the universe! |
And now back to my crown. The crown is back in place. Dr. Clare worked her magic to increase the size of the surface of where the crown was to be cemented. Then she recemented the crown onto this larger surface. With fingers crossed, all these different elements of this solution will chose to bond together meaning the frequency of future dental appointments maybe reduced.
Thank for Helen at the Lumino Dental One office, I had my marching orders for Saturday. My mission was walking seven km (~ 4.3 miles each way) to the Blue Rose Cafe to purchase my first hungi pie. How could I ever say I visited NZ if I left without tasting this pie. As my photos below demonstrate, mission accomplished!
I found the following comment by Julian Tang which summarizes the experience of eating a hungi pie, "When I was young, my family and our neighbours did a hangi in our backyard in Te Atatu. I've never had a real proper hangi since then, but I can still remember the unique taste of the pork and veges, the steamed and roasted texture with a smokey flavour. When I had this pie for the first time I immediately felt the nostalgia and it sent me back in time to that childhood memory."
I was blessed to attend a hangi meal when I visited the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. What Julian describes is exactly what I also experienced. The smokey flavour is so distinctive!
What was also distinctive was the cafe's Maori and Pacific Island vibe. Several Maori staff and patrons while I was purchasing my pies. I was immersed in a cultural experience the minute I entered the cafe. What an unexpected and most welcome blessing that arose from my misbehaving tooth!
As for the walk, I must confess the whispers (Yoga Rooms terminology) that I occasionally hear from my joints and muscles turned into a somewhat of a loud chorus by the walk's end.
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Mount Wellington
Highlight on cafe walk |
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Eden Park - NZ's National Stadium
Highlight on cafe walk
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| Blue Rose Cafe |
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| Temptation abounds |
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| Yes, there is even more |
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| I bought two pies |
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| Chicken Curry |
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| Hangi - fresh from the oven |
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| Pie heated cabinet |
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| Exterior |
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| Exterior view - pardon the reflection |
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| Cafe section |
Pedestrians Beware
It is my experience after three months in New Zealand, that pedestrians are fair game for local drivers in larger cities like Auckland and Christchurch! How I miss the courtesy (and relative safety) I was accustomed to when living in Eau Claire, Wisconsin!
All said, I'm being somewhat melodramatic. Pedestrians do need to be careful in crossing the road. When compared to trying to cross a road in other countries like Vietnam, New Zealand feels incredibly safe!!! Remember the rules for crossing a road in many South East Asian countries - always move forward and always keep moving towards the other side of the road. The traffic will weave around you anticipating you will keep moving forward!
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'Official' pedestrian crossing with raised surface
markings on road and poles with orange warning discs |
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Cross if you dare. There is a small refuge in the
middle of the road to wait for a break in traffic |
Travel Administration
I'm hoping you are wiser than me when it comes to paying attention to the credit card you are using when traveling internationally. I've been slow in figuring out that the 2.5% foreign exchange fee I'm paying is expensive. I'm now investing my time to find the right credit card for my travels.
I've provided the links below to help you get started on your research, if and as applicable, to identify the best travel credit card for you. I find these credit card analysis important to understand the range of variables I should be using as selection criteria. Happy hunting!
Travel Credit Cards - Canada
Travel Credit Cards - USA
Travel Credit Cards - NZ
One more thing to consider. Occasionally I have internaltional credit card transactions that involve the vendor using a third party to authenticate the transaction with my Canadian credit card bank. For one bank (TD Bank), the only option is to text a secure code to my Canadian phone number which means reinserting my Canadian SIM card and incurring the daily $15 fee charged by my phone company (Rogers). Bank of Nova Scotia has two options - text to a Canadian phone number or send an email. Food for thought.
Next Week
While I start the week in Auckland, I'll end the week in Margaret River in West Australia. I fly to Perth on Monday afternoon; staying in Perth for three nights. I'll pick up my rental car on Thursday afternoon and drive to Margaret River Thursday afternoon for a three night stay. I've chosen to visit Western Australia as I have previously visited Sydney (x2), Melbourne, Cairns (think Great Barrier Reef on northeast coast) which are all on Australia's east coast. I've also spent as two weeks traipsing about Tasmania in October 2012. Tasmania is a great hiking destination.
May the universe fill your week ahead with endless blessings 🙏 and magical moments 🦄.
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