The most Expensive Tomato Ever!

Tuesday 30 September

With impeccable timing - our lovely friends from Natural Birth Classes in London in 1998 landed back from their big European summer trip just as we came down from Matakana, so we joined them for a fabulous lunch in Herne Bay.

Suzy had been shopping at Farro (way out of our price range) and managed to pay $17.15 for one single large heritage tomato! Even she was shocked! However, it was put to good used and created a delicious salad with it, smoked salmon, stracciatella and basil - real taste of summer! We caught up on a year of goss on the deck in the sunshine - so lovely.

Since we last visited, they have had an amazing sculptural boathouse built at the bottom of the cliff at the end of the garden - easy Iwi consent, much harder council approval, but here it stands, a monument to vision and persistence. David has his home office in the upper storey to the rear - with that view, it is a wonder he gets any work done at all!

Louis had some jobs to do so after lunch he dropped me off on Federal Street so I could walk down to the Art Gallery - but sadly the “Century of Modern Art” exhibition I wanted to see had closed on Sunday so I checked out a few galleries before he swung by to pick me up. I did like the stone representations of discarded clothing and belongings up by the church and City Mission, but was even more taken with the NZ Gothic display - particularly creepy Dara Ó Briain, the guy made of bodies, the early plans for Hogwarts, Hammond's fascinating birdmen and the spooky Macbeth witches.

In the European gallery the art was more classic - but the fortune teller suggesting that the rich woman marry the nervous camp fella behind her who can't believe his luck  and she’s like “Who? Him???” 👉 me giggle, The Chief Mourner outfit was very WOW and quite stunning; Dusky Sound watercolour reminded me we need to save up and take a night cruise down there; the Māori take on marine art was cool & varied (a shell representation of a fish trap, a video of the wreck of a sunken human trafficking (blackbirding) ship from the late 19th century and a representation of Te Ika a Māui, the North Island, a fish pulled up by the god Māui)

Back on the North Shore, we gave Banjo a much needed wash down as she was covered in lime from the roadworks up north, then whizzed back into town for dinner with the family.

It was our final night in Auckland for a long while so long farewells to humans and pets alike - Albi hugs at the Brooks then Dilligas & Summer snuggles in Beach Haven. 🥰. Lovely dinner with the Brooks and Helen ( I was a good girl and had BYO salad as my Deborah Diet is in full swing) then we took Helen back home to her apartment in Three Kings.

Summer was confused by the kids' new playhouse in Beach Haven, Dilligas popped up to say miaow then went back to bed and I got very taken with my fab earrings so took a selfie with them before bed!