Excursions and Past Times:
exploring, movies, and books
22.05.2010
17 °C
On a recent Sunday I went to North Head in Devonport, about a 20 minute drive. North Head is a series of headlands that over look the harbor; once used as part of the NZ Defense system it is now a park with some of the original buildings, battlements, and gun stations. An informative 15 minute film plays in the stone kitchen adjacent to the barracks. The views are amazing! It was fun to wander around and see Takapuna (our beach) to the north and central Auckland right across the bay. A strategic location for sure.
Another day I took the bus into town for an appointment. The bus stops one block away from our house! I wandered around downtown Auckland for a bit and had pot of tea and a veg muffin, yum! The area along the waterfront has more coffee shops and café than just about anywhere I have even been. Almost every woman was dressed in black. The fashionable casual look is leggings, interesting drapey, jersey tops, possible short skirt over the leggings, interesting chunky necklaces, & embellished ballet slippers. Overall, I saw a lot of skirts too, worn by all ages. But of course many young ladies love their black spikes and black pencil skirts!
Our little Northcote library is busy and lively; I love a well used library! The DVD selection is OK, certainly more diverse than I’m used to. They charge $2 for a Hollywood style movie and documentaries and non-fiction DVDs are free. Jane Campion’s 1992 film, The Piano, has been on my mind since I got here. Remember Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel, Sam Neill and a very young Ana Pacquin? Well no wonder I thought of it, the beach part was filmed about an hour away! Apparently go to Piha and turn left. The movie was even better than I remembered and more meaningful this time. The bush, the beach, the trees, are almost unreal but the mud is staggering, very real, very deep, absolutely disgusting. If you don’t remember it, or did not see it, check it out! Mute Scottish woman comes to NZ to loveless marriage….. Enter hunky Harvey Keitel….Drama ensues and you are lost in another world.
Whitcoulls, the largest NZ book store chain, publishes a top 100 book list voted for by NZ readers every two years. The new list includes: 1. Lord of the Rings (for 10 years) 2. My Sister’s Keeper 3. Pride and Prejudice 4. Cross Stitch by Diana Gabaldron (10 years) 5. Harry Potter & Deathly Hallows 6. The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons 7. The Da Vinci Code 8. The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay (10 years), 9. The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, 10. The Other Boleyn Girl. …. 12. To Kill a Mocking Bird….. 15. The Bible…. 23. Poisonwood Bible…..34. Jane Eyre… 42. Mr. Pip by Lloyd Jones (FANTASTIC! AT JEFFCO LIBRARY!)….. 50. Dune……. 69. The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency…….81. The Book Thief ……92. The God of Small Things (10 years!) This list has many favorites and gives me a whole new world of books to explore!
Posted by Hilary G 02:17 Archived in New Zealand Tagged living_abroad
What a coincidence - this weekend I too went to Singapore's oroginal casements and battle stations at the beach head of the straits! Lovely views. My parents always say that the best views are to be had from forts and temples - they always seem to pick the best sites.
I like the fashion report. It's similar here too. But the skirts are tiny. The have great legs and wear the teeniest of skirts/shorts to show them off.
What's the bookstore like? More like Tattered Cover or Barnes and Nobles?
24.05.2010 by Goofy9