Flashback Friday takes place on the last Friday of the month. The idea is to give a little more love to a blog post you've published before that maybe didn't get enough attention, or is something you think is still relevant or even a something that you really love and want to share again.
Many thanks to Michael d’Agostino for starting Flashback Friday and inspiring me to go back and revisit some of our earlier blog posts.
* * *
This is a flashback to when we lived in Auckland, New Zealand. We didn't have a car, so we walked everywhere. We lived in city centre (downtown) Auckland, so everything was convenient and we were a hop, skip, and a jump away from the waterfront.
When I looked back at this post, I noticed that I only used metric. Hard to believe that once upon a time, I functioned in kilometers, kilograms, and hectares.
This was originally published in December 2013 - you can see the original post here.
* * *
 | |
Wynyard Quarter is one of the new
hot spots in the Auckland waterfront area and is undergoing a 25-year
urban transformation plan, the first part of which was completed in time
for the 2011 Rugby World Cup (which of course the All Blacks won).
It
sits on reclaimed land in the Waitemata Harbour and encompasses around
37 hectares of land and three kms of coastal frontage. There are all
sorts of amenities for visitors to enjoy including a playground, public
artwork, old siloes which have been jazzed up, a fish market and all
sorts of cafes, restaurants and bars.
You can see all types of vessels
in Wynyard Quarter including fishing boats, the Great Barrier Island
ferry, classic Kiwi yachts and mega yachts. Positioned between the
Viaduct and Westhaven, it is nice area to have a stroll, visit and
explore.
 |
| The drawbridge from Te Wero Island in the Viaduct which you cross over to get to Wynyard Quarter. |
 |
| View from under the pohutukawa trees back to the Viaduct and the drawbridge.. |
 |
| There is a lot of interesting street art scattered throughout Wynyard Quarter. |
 |
| There's a fish market in Wynyard Quarter which is fun to explore. They sell good fish and chips there, but be warned if you want ketchup for your chips, it will cost you extra. |
 |
| Yummy fish for sale. Although, I much prefer the ones that Skipper Scott catches for us. |
 |
| One of the many fishing boats in the Wynyard Quarter. |
 |
| They've repurposed old shipping containers throughout Wynyard Quarter. You can get money out of the ATM at this one. There is a television screen on the other side showing videos. |
 |
| At this one, you can buy some ice cream with the money you just took out of the ATM. |
 |
| And you can even catch the bus from this shipping container. |
 |
| At the end of Wynyard Quarter is Silo Park. It is full of siloes. The name kind of gives it away. |
 |
| They've jazzed some of the old siloes up with colorful paintings. |
 |
| Silo Park marina is where the mega-yachts berth. This ridiculous boat, the A, is owned by a Russian tycoon and worth $350 million. He has brought it into Auckland to be repainted. It is going to cost around NZ$30 million alone to repaint and take approx. 18 months. |
 |
These boats are much nicer.
And the most important thing to know about the Wynyard Quarter is
that they just opened a branch of Sal's Pizza there. This is the best
proper American style pizza in Auckland. I think they import the cheese
from Wisconsin. Getting a pizza from Sal's is a priority must-do for
Scott this week now that he is back in New Zealand.
|
Have you ever been to New Zealand? Do you like to go for urban walks?
Thanks for stopping by our blog - we love it when people come visit! We're also on Facebook - pop by and say hi!
Amazon (US) | Amazon (CA) | Amazon (UK) | Amazon (AU) | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Apple iBooks | Google Play | Book Depository | Books-A-Million
Find out more at ellenjacobsonauthor.com
The repurposed shipping containers is clever. Looks like a fun little area.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was a good idea as well.
DeleteFascinating! I really like the street art, though those adorable pieces look designed to trip an unwary pedestrian. I presume folks there don't walk around with noses stuck to smart phone screens. ~grin~ Thank you for 'taking' me somewhere I'll likely never see. ~sigh~ SO doesn't even want to set foot on an airplane any more. Or a cruise shit, for that matter. I think of myself as a bit germophobic, but he's turning into a poor man's Howard Hughes. Be well!
ReplyDeleteI love street art as well :-)
DeleteNever been to NZ but I do like urban walks. The shipping containers are a good idea.
ReplyDeleteYou're the queen of urban walks - I love following along with yours :-)
DeleteI love the little crab. The fish market puts me in mind of Pike's Market in Seattle.
ReplyDeleteIt's cute isn't it :-)
DeleteI've never been to New Zealand. Our traveling days are over. We're of the age now that it's often difficult to get from point A to point B. Walking was once such a pleasure and now it is painful. Getting old isn't for sissies.
ReplyDeleteHave a fabulous day and weekend, Ellen. ♥
Getting old sucks sometimes :-(
DeleteHow i would love to visit NZ! It looks fabulous.
ReplyDeleteSuch a great place - hopefully, you can get there one day.
DeleteA boat worth 350 million dollars boggles the mind. (Boggles MY mind, anyhow.)
ReplyDeleteThat little crab is adorable, and he'd fit right in at our house.
Such adventures! Nope, we've never been to NZ, but it's really cool that you lived there.
Crazy, isn't it that someone can spend that much money.
DeleteYes, I would love to visit New Zealand. We actually passed "A" in the back channel behind Wrangell AK island. The wake from it went on for about 1/2 hours as it refracted off of the shore. It's a pretty strange boat.
ReplyDeleteA sure does get around. That wake sounds awful.
Delete