Another hot, sunny day in the antipodes… 27 degrees, very glad of my factor 50 sunscreen and probably the only person wandering around with their arms covered up (one lymphoedema sleeve and glove combo and  one tanned arm would just look silly!).  Using the second day of my tour bus ticket meant I got to see some different parts of the city, including climbing to the top of Mount Eden, visiting Eden Gardens (not the Garden of Eden!!), the entrance to Government House and the rugby ground.

Eden Gardens is a pay-to enter public garden in a volcanic crater, funded to a greater or lesser degree by memorials – not just the ubiquitous benches, but little plaques on walls a bit like you might see at a crematorium – only without the crematorium.  What seems to be a new initiative was a pet memorial wall (only three plaques and some dried out plaster where had fallen off!).  I did like it as an idea though – a pleasant place to go to remember Auntie Betty or Uncle Bill, or Rover or Fluffy for that matter.  A nice café, lots of paths to walk along, nooks and crannies, wonderful planting – if as the twee poem goes 'you're nearer to God in a garden' what better place to draw near to lost loved ones?

Setting aside the near impossibility of finding bread, biscuits, ready meals or even cooked meat (!) that do not contain soya, capsicums/paprika or both, my experience of supermarkets  which seems to fly in the face of the 'clean, green New Zealand' mantra.  Turning up with my own cotton bag and expecting that I'll use it has met with bewilderment… do I not want a single use, disposable plastic bag, then?  That'd be a no.  Intriguing.  I have had some nice NZ lamb chops and delicious sweet corn and lots of fresh fruit and have tried to avoid familiar brands in favour of indigenous ones where possible – nice gloopy yoghourts, 'interesting' museli largely devoid of oats. 

Now it's time to relax and get my things together for tomorrow's trip to one of the islands across the bay from here