Summer is in full swing in paradise

MUSIC IS THEIR BIRTHRIGHT - 

At Vector Arena, I was spectator to the 10th annual NZ Ukulele Festival. The exuberance of the host was exhausting and quickly began to grate; she even labelled herself the Ukulele Fairy and dressed like a sunflower! Pretty music filled the auditorium and my soul; everything sounds more tropical and somehow cooler through this four-stringed mini guitar. 

The Kiwileles are the world's largest ukulele orchestra made up of school kids and these little muffins were sugar to the ears. One had composed her own piece of music with original lyrics 'We are Aotearoa' and it inspired hearts. She has more talent in her pinky finger than I could ever wish to possess. 

Honaka and Azita, huge Youtube stars flew over from Hawaii to treat us to tracks from their album. They are MONSTERS (in an amazing way!!) on the ukulele and their passion and vigour for the instrument was wonderful to behold. I got goosebumps when a group of boys did the first haka I have witnessed first hand and it was epic. 

THIS VOLCANIC CONE ROCKS - 

Mount Eden, one of the 48 volcanic cones in the region of Auckland where you won't be staring death in the face, is just where you should come to be serene. Abandon your day job and put this at the very top of your Auckland city list! It is practically my back garden (at a mere 20 minute walk from my house) be it ever so humble. The 5-10 mins to the top of the summit is easy peasy and I wanted to yell 'YABADABBADOOOO!' I could have sat there all day long and not become bored of the prettiness. 

The preserved crater is 50 metres deep and is signposted as a fragile and sacred area; nobody is authorised to enter. It's Auckland's highest natural point at 196 metres tall and it erupted 15,000 years ago forming a ginormous mound, the greenest of greens! A kind girl from Malaysia took some pics for me on her GoPro and then friended me on Facebook so I could share the snaps. 

2 mistakes I will never make again: 1) Wearing black on a yummy sunny day and 2) drinking juice with turmeric in!!

Luckily I was on the way home when my IPhone toppled out of my hand; I was under the false impression that these pieces of technology were indestructible so didn't reach out to catch it. The tiniest fragment of glass pricked into my thumb (something wicked this way comes?) and the screen had smashed a fragment off at the bottom. My brother suggested I order screen protectors to keep it together and they are doing the job nicely. 

SUN'S OUT, GUNS OUT -

It couldn't feel further away from a British December in this stunning country, with bays for days! The beach is a beacon to the bronzed and the beautiful, heralding them from their homes. WA WOW WEE WOW!! (to steal a one liner from the shorter and better looking half of Ant and Dec) Mission Bay attracted legions of vitamin D and SEA loving sun seekers to lap up the rays. 

It is YOUR mission, to be thee HERE!! At just a 15 minute bus ride from the city centre it's ideal for a staycation and is where the baes flock to the Bay to unleash their skin for sunkissing. That water though! What's good about it? It is terrifically TURQUOIZE. The sand itself is like a litter bin but it is Auckland's very own stretch of paradise with a perfect closeup of Rangioto. 

I SAW ... Kayakers, ferries transporting holidaymakers to the islands, low clouds at the bottom of a blanket of blue, rubber rings resembling donuts, a couple smooching in the sea and a mother spraying her child with a water pistol. 

I DRANK ... raspberry milkshake and while it wasn't magical, it cooled me in the heat. I'm currently loving the raspberry flavour but felt cheated that Bald Eagle Diner didn't add any fresh berries, just the drizzling of bottled syrup. 

I WAS SHAMEFUL .. wandering right along in front of all the beach bunnies so that I had the scenescape to myself. 

AUCKLAND'S HAPPY SECRET - 

I find Devonport beyond lovely and think this happy secret of Auckland's needs to be shared as it's but a 12 minute ferry ride away. I knew this seaside village was cool the minute I met it and it would make for a romantic getaway if I had anyone to romance. 

Torpedo Bay is pure scrumptious beauty and I fell wildly in love with this piece of heaven on earth. It is here that had a significant part in Auckland's early coastal defence systems. The Navy museum, an attraction beside the bay is just how I imagined it would be. Visitors are educated of the important function the NZ Navy served in developing the country and its involvement in the World Wars through informative exhibits. 

North Head, military barracks were built in 1888 up in the volcanic mountainside in order to conserve the city from threats of a Russian invasion. Although purposefully situated atop the shipping channel, the fort never needed to be deployed but gun emplacements and underground passages remain. I was quietly freaking out in the tunnels and ran out in a hippy's heartbeat after a minimal exploration. 

The sun was BLAMMO blazing down, scorching through my apparel as I sought shade on Cheltenham beach. It sure takes a beautiful picture; many a stony beach in my motherland would display fits of envy. In conclusion, NZ has an unfair amount of pretty in its isles. 

WHEN THE BELLY IS FILLED, THE RIANNE IS CHILLED - 

I took a little dessert interlude of creme brulee at Circus Circus, as I do. It took a romantic turn, for myself and the burnt cream with caramelised sugar are more than just friends. The sugar slays and every taste is a celebration to savour. 

I'M A PSYCHO FOR CHRISTMAS - 

Thus I had high hopes for Mount Eden's Christmas in the Village .. where were the activities and dazzling decorations? Nowhere to be seen! The village didn't go to the greatest of lengths to Christmasify but I magnetised towards a craft market inside a church hall and pocketed a knickknack or two. 

I loved the music festival vibe of Coca Cola's Christmas in the Park at Auckland Domain, as I sat out with hundreds in their rain macs (for a storm had hailed havoc during the day but decided to cheer up just in time). $100,000 was raised for Youth Line (an organisation that provides support to the young people of NZ) through purchases of light up Santa hats and over-sized glowsticks. The first half was more of having a merry little Christmas but in a mellow manner. 

After the interval, we were ROCKIN' but not around the Christmas tree! A native celeb Stan Walker, (winner of Australian Idol and 2 time judge on Ozzie X Factor doncha know?) was all but mobbed whenever he was onstage as the teens flocked to the front to fangirl outrageously. I guess they like looking at/drooling over his face!! :D 

A handful of gorgeous hunks of meat (how very sexist of me!!) with dreamily dulcet tones wowed with a Michael Jackson medley and the crowd showered them with applause, a 13 year old boy with a tone of gold treated us to a stunning version of the late Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah, karaoke classics had all on their feet and a phoney baloney Adele copycat with Amy Winehouse hair astonished with her crackin' voice. A free evening of jubilant entertainment and spingly-spangly, booming fireworks increased my joy TWENTY-fold. How much happier can we be?

Is Auckland like my BFF now?

THIS REALLY TAKES THE CAKE - 

As some of you may already know about me, I look at cake and any type of 'naughty' food kinda lustfully. ALL it takes to get this girl smiling again, is as Mary Poppins would sing 'just a spoonful of sugar'. And so, I popped out of my new digs on the hunt for baked goods; The Gateaux House caught my attention as it was on my Auckland dessert hit list. The Opera slice sang out to my mouth with it's iced/tempered chocolate musical note adornment. Now let me tell ya, this helping made me love life again with its oooooh-ey goooey-ness and my tonsils were dancing on the inside! 

Now, it was when I returned to my abode and turned the door handle to my bedroom (which had fallen off on the adjacent side earlier) only to discover that I was utterly locked out. Since I could not lock it myself because I hadn't been given a key for it (at that point) I couldn't work out how this was even possible!! I was a grumpy goose and I couldn't relax whatsoever until after I called my brother Jamie to calm my rage. My house mate suggested I try to jimmy the lock with a butter knife but as I have zero skills of breaking and entering it wouldn't budge. Rather than have an angry confrontation with a DOOR and waste hours waiting around for the landlord to bring a replacement key, I bailed. All was resolved and hunky dory, once I walked through the main door just after 10 that night as one of the girls had picked up a spare set of keys for it. Phhhewww!!

THE CRAZIEST OF CRAZIES - 

I seated myself along Queen Street in a prime spot for The Farmer's Santa Claus Parade. It wasn't a timely start but it mattered not as thousands of free ice lollies were distributed to the crowd. I grabbed a lemon and lime from the chiller as I was feeling the citrus. 

These parades are generally a let down for me as I want for them to be super Christmassy! This one included: Too many marching bands, flamboyant dancers, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, sea creatures, Austin Powers and his harem of flower power hippies and Disney princesses. NONE OF WHICH RELATES TO YULETIDE! The odd float blasted out a festive song but most of what came along was not connected to the reason for the season in any shape or form. 

When Santa did rock up on his sleigh at the end of the proceedings, he raced by so swiftly that I... I mean THE KIDS.. barely got to see him!! And he for sure didn't shake his belly like a bowl full of jelly so he's an IMPOSTOR. 'YOU SIT ON A THRONE OF LIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!' A pleasant hour or so was had all the same by the blithesome throng. 

OY VEY WITH THE POODLES ALREADY - 

Do you know how euphoric I was when it was announced that there was to be a Gilmore Girls revival???? I've always and will always want to reside in twinkly-lit Stars Hollow. Snuggling with a duvet, I had shivers at the first la la la's of A Year in the Life as I was sucked back into Lorelai and Rory's strange but special, caffeine-filled world of wonder. I loved every 90 minute movie with every molecule of my body. Yes, *even* that cliffhanger ending which dropped my jaw to the floor. The stories made me fulsomely joyful and teary and I WANT MOREEEEEEEEEEEEE. My main gripe was how the writers have broken our Rory by scrapping her integrity and taking the character in a selfish direction. That was not awesome!

THERE'S A LITTLE TWINKLE IN MY EYE FOR NZ - 

A pebble's chuck away from my place is Auckland Domain, the oldest park in this fair city. The summer breeze was a dream as I traipsed through, stopping off at The Winter Gardens. I don't think there's a woman alive who doesn't like flowers and these were in full bloom in the glass houses of beauty. The marble figurines embellishing the courtyard have a palatial air; it's such a beautiful spot that many weddings are held there. 

At exactly 30 days into my journey in Middle Earth, I've not even scratched the surface of all the places I want to cross off. Parnell Baths at Judges Bay may not have made the cut originally but when I found myself at a loose end, how could I not partake in that? This historic, outdoor swimming facility has been in use since the 1880's and as it was overcast, there were not heaps of peeps there. The spa pool was toasty but it was not on par with Waiwera Infinity Thermal Spa Resort. Nonetheless, it was utterly therapeutic to float and bob in sea water; my body became buoyant with the salt so I was whizzing around the water. 

DESSERT IS MY LIFE'S PASSION.. MY HEART'S PASSION.. MY MOUTH'S PRIVILEGE - 

I don't really know who I am if I'm not eating any. After literally stopping to smell the roses in Parnell's Rose Garden (they have every colour of the rainbow growing!) I graced Rosie's with my presence - heehee! Their French chocolate ganache, deconstructed hot chocolate had me rejoicing. The froth was a big flirt, I kissed up the flaky bits on the rim of my glass and salivated over the jug of ganache. The beverage gets the Rianne seal of approval but I was displeased to be shut out of the patio door like I was a mingy animal! Is it as I wasn't in my finest attire and my hair was wet and knotty from swimming? I'm sooooooo sorry I'm not one of your usual snooty, hoity-toity, upper class clientele and that you hated my face :(

When the hankering for summat sweet hit me the subsequent day, I headed straight to the fancy Milse to indulge in the exquisitely teeny but next level scrumptious kalingo, orange and ginger gateaux. Sumptuous and opulent with an orange tang that really hit the spot and what it lacks in physical portion size, it more than makes up for in pretty! I'm still tantalised by that chocolatey scent which is heaven SENT. Trouble is, there are so many other luxuriant cakes on the menu that I must return to sample other offerings. 

FIGURE, BE DAMNED - 

Me and noodles sort of rekindled things at Victoria Park's Night Noodle Market. The sun shone, the masses ate and the spicy aromas wafted. Plus, I spied many an attractive stranger ;) As I'm a cheapskate of late, I scoured all the stalls and their wares, then picked the most inexpensive choice of sweet soy noodles with eggplant, cilantro and peanut. Thai women performed some martial arts dance with swords; they were nutbags but ADORABLE nutbags! 

Nobody makes organic gelato like Lalele anymore. How could I pass up on the imaginative flavourings of strawberry, coconut and lavender in a waffle cone? *THIS* is what love tastes like, people!

I frolicked across Auckland's coolest of beans light path (on it's 1st anniversary) following the rainbow of bikers, racing to the cake. A sweet young girl had been separated from her parents as the current of cyclists sped off; it was heart melting to see them reunited as she was frantic with panic.  

FIVE TIMES THE FESTIVE FUN - 

I got to Christmas it up a bit with Kaitlyn, Errica and Candice at Town Hall's Christmas Celebration. As we'd queued up over an hour early, we were able to nab seats 3 rows from the front. It was a joy and honour to be so close to the Auckland Symphony Orchestra and the LDS choir; their talent engulfed the auditorium. The orchestra played with conviction and all soloists/duos sang our faces off!

Singing carols merrily with a collective of Christmas lovers has got to be one of the coolest feelings in all the world. I gave it some welly too!! My stand out song of the night was a man who graced us with O Holy Night operatically; his abilities are otherworldly! It made me tingle when all joined for the finale to rapturously belt out 'Joyful joyful' from Sister Act, as would a gospel choir.