Travelogues ...headin' down the highway lookin' for adventure...
Monday, February 28, 2000
This morning we are more rested but still moving at glacier pace. We have plopped ourselves in a small elegant outdoor café back at the Americas Cup village overlooking the sailboats lining the harbor.
We savor large crepes with fresh fruit and yummy maple syrup. We are finally getting into the swing of things the Roger and Linda way-absorbing the culture of the country through our stomachs. Roger is watching a TV production crew setting up only a few yards from us. He has convinced himself that the pretty young woman holding his undivided attention is a real starlet as he points out to me each member of the production crew-the sound man, make-up artist, grip, producer, etc while never taking his eyes off the blonde starlet practicing her lines.
I humor him by agreeing and adding that usually for a live shot one only has the "talent" and one cameraman. I settle in and expect we will stay here for awhile, but instead Roger has had enough and we head in search of a cybercafe. We are both having Internet withdrawal pains and are anxious to find a way to get on-line.
On our way out the village we thread our way again through the growing crowds and stop briefly to be hugged by an oversized kiwi and entertained by a local mime.
We spend the rest of the day trudging up and down Queens Street (the major downtown shopping area) stopping occasionally for an interesting picture
in search of a specific cybercafe with Apple Macs, only to finally find the best one located only a few blocks away from our hotel. When we get back to the room we are exhausted but delighted to find a written message from Leone Dunne inviting us for a tour of the city and dinner.
As we drive to one of the highest points in Auckland for a spectacular view of the city, Robbie Dunne explains that while 1.5 million people live in the city there are more people who go through the morning subway system in Tokyo, Japan on any given day. The entire country has around three million people and is spread out and sparsely populated. The city spills out all around us and I remember that I had read somewhere that the landmass of the city is twice the size of London with significantly less people.
Leone and Robbie are warm, generous people who love to laugh and share stories of adventures. We are charmed by them. We eat dinner at a lovely restaurant (Mikano) on the bay. Leone and I have the fresh fish of the day lying in the bottom of a huge deep plate of luscious broth. Roger and Robbie opt for the venison which Robbie and Leone explain that all the venison is farm raised. I taste a bit of it and for the first time I really, really love venison.
We end the evening with an invitation by the Dunne's to their home on Wednesday for a lamb dinner and more wonderful Kiwi hospitality. Roger and I are overwhelmed by their generosity and kindness. I will never again brag about Southern hospitality without first thinking of the Dunnes.