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March 28, 2005

Rediscovering Auckland

Over the last month or so our lives have started to settle down and we've had time --- and great weather --- to get out, visit friends and relatives, and see Auckland again after ten years away.

Strangely, I feel a much stronger desire to really know this city than I did before. For example, there are dozens of volcanic cones in the city, most of which have been turned into parks, but I've only been to a handful of them. So yesterday we went to Mount St John for the first time.

Crater of Mount St John
It's quite thrilling to walk through this upper-class suburb in the middle of everything, walk up a strip of reserve between houses and pop out above an amazing natural amphitheatre with amazing views over the city. I wonder how I managed to pass close by hundreds of times --- my old high school is perhaps a mile away --- being only barely aware it was there. Perhaps it's because Mount St John has larger and more famous neighbours --- Mount Hobson, Mount Eden and One Tree Hill.

Here's another shot of the view from the top. Auckland aficionados may wish to identify the four volcanic cones visible in this picture.

View from Mt St John
This Easter long weekend we also went to the Royal Easter Show, walked around One Tree Hill and Albert Park, and had lunch with friends at Grand Harbour and T-Mark. T-Mark is a rather obscure Taiwanese cafe in Newmarket --- very good. I'm exhausted and looking forward to a relaxing day at work tomorrow!

Posted by roc at March 28, 2005 9:48 PM

Comments

Rangitoto, Northhead, Mt. St. John is the trick missing fourth one obviously, and then...? I wish I could place St. John in my memory so I could pinpoint where the last one would be. Is it Wellington? Hmm, no, it looks too close to the coast for that... Oh well, I'm just a stupid tourist anyway, so I guess it's okay that I don't know. :P

Urgh on it looking like the drought has been keeping up, btw. That grass should be _way_ greener (and was, just a month ago, even though I thought it was awfully brown even then).

Posted by: Sander at March 28, 2005 10:48 PM

Thank you Robert!
I love your stories and pictures about NZ/Auckland. I did a student exchange to NZ a few years ago and it's allways great to remember the good times I had there.

Posted by: Albert at March 28, 2005 11:40 PM

Sander: that's pretty good for a tourist :-)

Posted by: Robert O'Callahan at March 29, 2005 9:39 AM

I believe the fourth is Mount Hobson? :)

Posted by: Porges at March 29, 2005 1:19 PM

Ka-ching! Well done :-)

Posted by: Robert O'Callahan at March 29, 2005 2:34 PM