Spending a Fortune in Tamaki Makaurau

Saturday 20 June

Reconnecting with some of our favourite places and people in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland on our first day back, we started with brunch at Hill House Cafe with Grandma Helen. Pah Homestead - home of Hill House Cafe, is a lovely art gallery & sculpture garden and where the wardrobe was in the 2005 Chronicles of Narnia!

Delicious food and we ate in the winter sunshine on the terrace with Albi for company. Such good food - a croque madam for Louis, pumpkin & feta omelette for Helen and “OG pimp my scone” with creamy mushrooms for me.

On the way out we checked out some of the funky sculptures - big pharma pill people, Bean Rock lighthouse on a bean, corrugated kiwi and tall running hound!

After dropping by Helen’s place to fix a few bits & bobs we headed back to Sandringham.

Louis had a siesta while I set out on a mission with a long To Do List… St Luke’s for my T2 order and some Kmart shopping (always good to know the back route into the mall to avoid car park chaos), op shop to drop off stuff and look for a big mug for my tea, Gilmours for a kg of delicious prosciutto, Mt Roskill for food supplies and then home. Happiness is a kg of prosciutto from Gilmours! Cost about $65, whereas supermarket sell 70g for around $10 - super saving and soooo delicious 😋

As I entered Sallies on Dominion Road a poor woman was collapsed on the floor. A young woman and I took on first aid duties while she recovered and the shop manager called an ambulance. I was half expecting to see Amy arrive, but it was a different team from New Lynn and Gareth the CCP. Poor woman had come round & recovered a fair bit but went into hospital for tests to check what had happened. We helped her to ring her husband to let him know what was happening - she had him listed in her contacts as "Sexy Beast Dave" - what an awesome relationship they must have!

Louis meanwhile had gone swimming in Newmarket - an expensive endeavour costing $6 parking and $11 pool entry… we’re used to free parking and $7-8 for the aquatic centre down south!

Amy finished her Hato Hone St John shift and came over to see us then we headed up to town for dinner at Federal Delicatessen - our favourite restaurant! Sarah W joined us from her hospital shift and we had a lovely evening. We are not very original - Amy had steak, Louis had pastrami, I had veal schnitzel and Sarah plumped for dirty poutine - then 2 cheesecakes and 2 lemon meringue pies for pudding. When you know what you want, you just have to go for it!

It was quiet in a non-TV restaurant and on the streets as the Super Rugby final was happening in Wellington - Chiefs v Hurricanes - so most of NZ was at the stadium or glued to the TV. The scores were being projected onto the SkyTower - turned out to be a landslide win for the home team, Canes, 60-5.

It’s fun to be back but definitely not cheap!