mrsjono

Two weeks before our wedding, we flew to Auckland to shop for some decent clothes during the long weekend. I wanted to get my hair fixed as well but the Korean hair salon was closed! The plan was to also check out One Tree Hill via Cornwall Park. The park was gifted by Sir John Campbell to the people of New Zealand in 1901 and it's managed by a private trust today.


We were greeted with cherry blossoms at Cornwall Park



Visitors enjoying the spring blossoms and having a picnic


Very well maintained grass



Continuing on to One Tree Hill


Based on the name, I was expecting the tall structure to be a tree when looking at it from afar but it turned out to be an obelisk and beneath it is the grave of Sir John. Cornwall Park and One Tree Hill used to be one big parcel of land but the hill was later transferred to the Tamaki Makaurau Collective and is now jointly managed by iwi and Auckland Council.


Every time we're up on a hill in Auckland, views of Rangitoto are guaranteed on a clear day.


View of Auckland city from the summit


Heading back down


A tree once stood near the summit but was chopped down and subsequent trees that were planted also did not survive.


J Tea has become our must visit whenever we're in Auckland



We stayed in this two storey house near Cornwall Park (Airbnb) hosted by a Chinese lady called Lily.

Rui's parents will be visiting in two months time and we have been busy thinking where to show them around in Wellington. I thought it would be a good idea to bring them up the cable car and walk down the Botanic Gardens. We haven't been there ourselves so we decided to do a recce by walking through the gardens and up to the top of the cable car and returning the same way on foot. It was the tulip season and lots of other flowers have also bloomed in spring, plenty of macro photo opportunities.





I like to come up with silly imaginary conversations between animals of the same species based on their behaviour or body lanuage. For instance, I would like to think the dog on the right is telling its friend something like "Look, I told you to stay still but you refused, now she has to lock you down with her legs and you can't even move! Serve you right."


Duck food is provided at the pond for visitors to feed the ducks. We didn't see any around though, must have all gone inside the ducks tummies.


There is a lookout from the Treehouse Visitor Centre but access to the top was closed on the day of visit.


I spent a long time watching and waiting to take a shot of this monarch butterfly.


The change in season from winter to spring is quite drastic; everything was dead, cold and depressing in winter but when spring arrives, everything literally springs to life again just like these butterflies going around the flowers.


Looking good with my beanie


A man resting under a big tree


Decent views of Wellington harbour at the top of the cable car


This is the iconic view and symbol of Wellington that often appears in postcards


That's a huge house with three chimneys and multi-million dollar sea views


More flowers on the way back down


A lovely afternoon spent photographing pretty flowers

I didn't know about the Brighton Bathing Boxes when we visited Melbourne last year until I saw them in holiday photos of Facebook friends. Such colourful boat sheds can also be found in Porirua, New Zealand. Historically these boat sheds were built for fishermen, these days they are used by families to enjoy the beach in summer. They are rarely on sale because they are usually passed down through the generations or sold to friends. Some of these sheds are fully furnished with bedroom, bathroom and kitchen facilities. We visited Titahi Bay towards the end of winter so none of them looked like they were occupied on that day.




Two sheds near the red yellow one changed hands in March 2019


Another row of colourful sheds


These four with same design in different colours might belong to the same owner


Oh the ramp has collapsed no wonder the shed is up for sale lol





Gorgeous day at Titahi Bay

We wanted to watch the All Blacks live in action so when the Bledisloe Cup final was in Wellington, we purchased the tickets ($129 pp) to the match. Turns out we couldn't see much from where we were sitting (view was mostly blocked by big woolly hats of people sitting in front of us) and without commentary, it felt quite weird watching the game in silence. Further, we don't fully understand the rules of the game so we don't really know what we're watching. I conclude we're better off watching rugby from the screen at home!


Back to Westpac again this time as spectators


The AB squad - I had no idea who's who lol


The most memorable part for me was actually listening to the crowd sing 'God Defend New Zealand' with fervour and passion.

This newly opened track kept appearing on my Facebook so we decided to give it a go when the weather was finally more settled in spring. The Escarpment Track covers 9km of the hills along SH1 and the Kapiti rail line with lots of steep steps, narrow pathways and two long swing bridges. It's quite an easy walk taking us slightly over two hours.


I seldom come across a track that offers views of the road and rail traffic along the ocean.


There are a few seats along the way but no shelter so expect strong winds as it's along the coast.


Walking into the ocean


Kapiti Island



One of the two swing bridges


that offer spectacular views of the Kapiti coast



The trail gradually descends onto the railway tracks and it was a quick 10 min train ride back to Paekakariki where our car is parked.


A good summary on what to expect of the track at Pukerua Bay station