Friday 27 September 2013

Days 26 - 28: Awesome Auckland, Shine and Family!

Day 26: A short wander down to Devonport and I was soon on the water to downtown Auckland
Which meant I had a couple of hours spare to 'up armour' in an outdoors shop. Dangerous stuff letting myself loose at Bivouac Queen St after nearly 4 weeks tramping, and 4 months more to go! In the end, the only major change was to upgrade my wet weather jacket, trousers and gaiters to heavier but more 'storm proof' kit. Proof will be in the pudding I suppose...

My lovely sister Anna picked me up after I fit in a cheeky pint at a Belgium beer bar, and I enjoyed some family time and a chance to hang my new hammock from Dream Hammocks! 

And it was a dreamy hammock, as my wee nephew Max noted.
I also picked up an iPhone 5 after my old 16G iPhone 4 melted under the sustained pressure of supporting me on the trail. So far, so good! Loving the new iOS 7, camera, and how much easier it is to blog on this. One really annoying typing glitch has been ironed out, saving me time and muttered cursing under my breath. Battery life pretty much sucks though, so I switch off 4G etc most of the time while walking. 

Day 27: My sister dropped me off at the Ferry Terminal in the morning to meet up with a few hardy Shine walkers who would accompany me up to Mt Eden. Vincent, Malcolm and Kimberly were great company and we made short work of the walk, getting in a wee detour to the Auckland War Memorial on the way.
at the top we had a little liquid refreshment before being joined by a gang of staff from Shine- permanents and volunteers. We shared a lovely meal together which they had made, and it was a real pleasure to have a chance to chat with them. I am hoping I will be able to share a couple of pics once they are published by Vincent. It was humbling and energising, and I hope to hear from the team regularly as I go. As I told them, one of the key reasons I chose Shine as the charity I wanted to support was because they are action-oriented, working proactively to make NZ homes violence-free. I am truly honoured to be able to champion this cause, and I hope it makes a difference in some small way. 

After lunch Anna picked me up and I spent the rest of the afternoon repacking gear and reloading apps and content onto the new iPhone. We had another wonderful family dinner, this time cooked by Anna's mum who is a talented cook. Two home-cooked meals in a row! I was starting to feel very spoiled.

Day 28: my gracious chauffeur Anna dropped me off at the top of Mt Eden, and she took some great pics before I headed off for South Auckland.

I think the wee break made it harder on my feet somehow, as they are now feeling quite tender! Anyway, a few pics along the way with the new phone and a cool post-production app suggested by my photographer sis!

And now I am happily ensconced in a backpackers near the airport, having had a very tasty Indian takeaway dinner. I was thinking on events and walking today, and couldn't help but observe that Auckland is a beautiful city, and I was fortunate to meet many of the beautiful people that live here. A good resetting of my biases, and I was glad for it.
Thanks Auckland, you were awesome! And now, to bed... G'night!



4 comments:

  1. Hullo KiwiScout! Your nephew looks adorable! The pix of members of Shine, Auckland, you were wonderful. I have the iOS7 as well and although some have complained, I haven't had any issues with it personally although, like you, I have found the battery life limited. I charge it even when I'm in the car. What app did you get regarding photos? I'm not surprised you got a new hammock as you've been using the other one for so many months. Is it similar to your old one? Stay safe!

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    1. Hey Aragonesa! The hammock is made by 'papa smurf' (his hammock forums name) , company is Dream Hammocks. It is not that similar, much lighter and thinner fabric. First use last night stealth camping. Loved it! Easy to set up even in the dark, and really comfortable. Lighter fabric seems to stretch more around you so no stress points

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  2. It was so great to meet you Pat...inspirational! Thanks for fundraising for Shine. I love random acts of generosity - they make the world go round! Dee

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    1. Thanks Dee, it was brilliant to meet you, your partner and energetic dogs! And many thanks for your donation! All the best

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