Some of possibly the best times I've had in Auckland

THE BARD SURE IS WORDY - 

A debilitating headache hurt like the Dickens so a pharmacy pit stop was extremely essential before a Mexicali meal with Helen. My ridiculously stingy, spicy chicken burrito bowl with black beans, white rice, a smidgen of salad, sour cream and salsa was not satisfying to say the least. I consumed it all but was bitter about the portion and mingin' chicken!

Jess, Helen, Kaitlin, Zani and myself attended an all male adaptation of Shakespeare's 'As you like it' at the Pop Up Globe. My only gripe is that they didn't keep it kid-friendly when children were in the audience. Old Bill's plays are full of innuendo and the cast played up to that with highly suggestive body language and facial expressions.

THEATRICAL DYNAMITE - 

The story: Rosalind and Orlando's love is torn asunder when she is exiled to the Forest of Arden. Her cousin Celia freely volunteers to be banished with her. There, they absurdly assume fake identities and rear a flock of sheep and it ends joyfully with multiple marriages - #SPOILER. Crazily, the men looked realistically pretty in their period appropriate gowns and wigs.

Thankfully my headache passed and I was able to fully appreciate my encounter as a groundling with the best 'seats' in the house. We stood for two and a half hours and all without a cramp or a wobble; just like the commoners would have back in eras gone by.

RAUCOUS HILARITY - 

Most enjoyable for me were the musical interludes and dance numbers, giving a modern dimension to an ancient tale. Orlando sang One Direction's 'What makes you beautiful' as if he was penning a love letter to his Rosalind and Rosalind's ghetto, Maori geezer impersonation of a 'typical bloke' were the moments which elicited huge laughs with their impeccable comic timing.

The crowd were involved throughout as the actors barged through, jumped over barriers and spat out fake teeth into the audience - ICK! Some of the scenes of this nature had us shrieking and leaping away but others weren't too quick on the uptake and were caught in the crossfire. Overall, I loved the exuberance and was greatly impressed with The Globe itself.

I, MYSELF, HAPPEN TO BE A WAFFLE FREAK  -

So on a room mate St Luke's Westfields outing, I couldn't very well pass up on Chocoworld's milk chocolate, drizzled waffles with kiwi slices now could I? Who needs a bae? :D I savoured each bite of this delicious treat for all ages andddddddddddddddd now, I'm FAT and it's all the waffles fault. Ah, who cares? It restored my inner serenity with its oozy choccie and what nottie.

NOTHING GETS ME SMILING LIKE A DESSERT IN A CUTE PATISSERIE - 

Parnell is the type of fancy neighbourhood where: hair salons are furbished with chandeliers, those inclined to exercise - jog in their lunch break or peruse one of the numerous art galleries. Seriously, THIS is their life and I loves it! 

A piece of 24 carat, rich, velvet Guanaja Grand Cru, dark chocolate mousse, malt crunch and mud base wasn't good for me but I care not. I'm SO glad I found you, Patisserie Vaniye! Henceforth and forever, you shall be spoken of in hushed, reverent tones.

Holy Trinity Cathedral is a place of reverence and contemplation which has had its fair share of visitors from our Royal Family. The building is constructed almost completely out of Kauri, save for some pews and the pulpit. I am always in awe of stained glass windows and the genius of these are unparalleled. The tremendous details depict stories from The New Testament.

I HATED THIS SHOW AS A CHILD - 

Power Rangers the TV show was being filmed on my doorstep at The Domain; I coaxed this info out of one of the programme's runners. Initially, I was getting in the way of the background shots - oops. Maybe I'll end up as an unpaid extra in one of the episodes.. It did give me a sense of how frustrating it must be for all involved in TV production as I stood by and watched on as they recorded tens of takes for the exact same scene. Soon, I became bored as I didn't get to see any of the Mighty Morphin' action and none of the powerful rangers were wearing their costumes.

DESSERTING: IT'S WHAT I DO; IT'S WHAT I LOVE - 

I'm sorta a rockstar that way! Helen and I know how to party it up on a Wednesday eve at Chocolate Boutique - my place of harmony. Christmas just arrived, when I indulged in the rich, thick concoction of Mexican spiced, Italian Denso. The cookies and cream kebab was gorgeously gooey with chocolate syrup spilling over vanilla ice cream between two crumbly, choccie chip cookies. These puds are welcome to hijack my belly whenever they'd like!!

ONLY ONE OF THE GREATEST DAYS IN CINEMATIC HISTORY -

I'd been so very excited to see the advanced screening of Disney's live remake of Beauty and the Beast, for many months. It has always been one of my all time fave Disney movies! Just when I thought Emma Watson couldn't be any more perfect, I see how talented, intelligent, empowering and stunning she is.

Well, it was a little bit splendid! Beauty and the Beast IS an enchanting tale as old as time and endearingly bedazzling to boot. Every minute of the movie delighted and entertained and I was mesmerised by the spellbinding cinematography and showstopping songs. I giddily hummed along, dreamily transfixed to THE great love story of generations.

My devotion to dessert will never dwindle

BE AMAZED - 

'Sweet Treat Saturday' was officially reinstated with a Nutella freakshake from Cereal Killa. It was another unreasonably, rainy day and for some reason I decided to walk down Dominion Road which is a fair distance away from where I live. Obviously, I liked it LOTSLY but I had imagined it to be bigger and a tad yummier! That's not to say it wasn't a delicious offering. 

Every single drop was slurped up; but was it worth waiting 20 minutes for a table (only to be moved later by a waitress when the other had seated me there) and an additional FORTY for a milkshake gone mad? Not sure. The malteasers, flakes and Ferrero Rocher type of choccy, nutty coating the glass wasn't awful but I probably won't get my freak on with a Cereal Killa shake again. 

ADORABLE ALERT - 

Helen invited me to join her on a trip to Muriwai beach so I took my first train ride out here to meet her in New Lynn, before she drove us out west. It was easy peasy and very pleasant! Slight hill climbs are a doddle now after Tongariro and the rewards are sweet. It's like a birdie convention right there on the beach with Muriwai's resident Gannet Colony. Approx 1200 pairs, snuggle up only centimetres apart on the rocks between August and March, before flying back to Australia. 

It's a sight to behold as they feed their young and are admired by guests; for it is *their* turf and don't they know it? The waste they emanate is disGOOsting by the by; my theory is that it stinks for they swallow up too many fishies. 

We lunched at the beachside cafe, had a shell collecting session (the teeny, twirly ones are the most cool) and took a stroll. I was very perplexed that a school class of youngsters were being taught to surf here when the surf is dangerously hazardous! 

Then it was back to the lavish, Titirangi treehouse (where Helen has been living temporarily) for some Tip Top ice cream! The peaches and cream flavour would not ordinarily be one that I would pick but now having tried it for myself, it is gosh darn irresistible! 

WHY HAVE I NOT HAD ROLLED ICE CREAM BEFORE? - 

This Thai frozen dessert had been on my dessert wish list, so when I spied that Bangok, a 'stall' selling just that had newly opened, I roped my housemate Jason into checking it out with me. They specialise in customising your rolls with free toppings of your choosing after milk and the ingredients you select are poured onto the iced grill. 

My passionfruit with berry sauce and white choccie sprinkles was filled with love and spun into a lil ice cream bouquet. It really was unusual to see it scraped together like that but I would recommend these Thai treats to anyone feeling rowdy!!

WHITE NIGHT - 

A tornado of nuttiness descended upon the streets of Auckland CBD throughout White Night. When Helen and I got to the harbour, the amber sun was starting to set and it was beautiful. After pouring over the uniquely pleasing, printed Kiwi art stall, each of us were kinda ravenous, so our rumbling bellies were fed by the food carts in Silo Park. 

The sesame chicken (KFC popcorn chicken style) nibbles I went for were a mighty monstrosity! Its chewy skin had no business coating my snack; I chased it up with a cone of chips smothered in peri peri sauce to rid myself of the sesame chicken disappointment. Now the woman serving real fruit, berry ice cream, whipped up high on the cone is a real master of the craft. You know it's GREAT ice cream when you start wearing it!

A CIRCUS OF FOOLS - 

I caught much nautical knowledge at the Maritime Museum and all for the price of NAUGHT, as the doors were opened to the public free of charge. The New Beginnings exhibit was most memorable to me as it gave an interactive look at what the immigrants who left their homelands experienced on their life changing voyages. We could take cards with real names and stories of those who had made these journeys; at the end we span the wheel of fortune to discover the fate of that very person. 

Les Grooms were comical, French performers who left a girl from the crowd 'abandoned' upon a shipping container during one of their songs. An exhibit of deceased animals photographed with different creatures was eerie and definitely NOT normal. Neither did I like the WHOOSH sound that made me jump in the dark as disturbing images were projected. However, I was a fan of Circus in a Flash, the LED hula hoopers who roved around AKL in sparkly, face covering catsuits. 

I now realise that I am an ice cream lunatic - having blogged about 4 separate sittings in just this one entry.