One thing I like to explore and take photos of is little side streets and alley ways. I liked the colours on this wall in Auckland City. Cracker Bay has a cafe/restaurant as well as offers facilities for office spaces, boat storage and venue hire. They are right on the waterfront near Westhaven marina.
Linking up with Skywatch Friday and Tom's Signs.
Linking up with Weekend Reflections, Shadow Shot Sunday and The Weekend Roundup.
Linking up with Weekend Reflections, Shadow Shot Sunday and The Weekend Roundup.
Picture this: B and I driving through central Auckland City through the crowded streets and traffic. Here's me taking photos of the historical and modern buildings when this lady walked directly in front of me, I think she thought I was deliberately taking a photo of her, she just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time...
Linking up with Weekend Reflections and The Weekend Roundup.
Along Dominion Road in Auckland is this mural on the side of an antiques building. Painted by Artist Paul Walsh it depicts his daughter Edie in an Art Nouveau style as part of the Dominion Road Street Art Project and was finished just before lockdown during the covid era of 2020.
Dominion Road is famous here as Kiwi band "The Mutton Birds" created a song about it in 1992:
Linking up with Mural Monday.
Driving around Auckland there are ALOT of roadworks. This one in Queen Street in the central city was outside the "Farmers" shop with a big fence around it, we weren't sure what was going on.
Linking up with Weekend Reflections and The Weekend Roundup.
Walking around Auckland's viaduct was an experience that B and I had never done since It had been built many years ago. There was so much to see, so many restaurants/bars/cafes and it's the home of where the America's Cup was held. We looked around to see where we could eat lunch but most places had pricing for an entree over $40 NZD which is ridiculous.
We ended up finding an Irish bar/restaurant named Danny Doolans that was advertising a lunch special of $19.95 for steak, chips, gravy and vegetables of your choice so that to us was a great bargain.
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This week the letter from Tom is "Z" - there are many of these around New Zealand but this one was in Auckland City in an area/Daldy street that use to be mainly grass and fishing wharves. It amazed me to see how much it had changed, there are now apartment blocks everywhere.
Linking up with Weekend Reflections, Shadow Shot Sunday and The Weekend Roundup.
In Auckland and some of the country's bigger cities there are some of the most lovely old colonial churches still standing. This one is on the outskirts of the central city and I do like to look up the history of places like this;
Early in 1864, a Mr Theophilus B Heath of the Wellesley Street Baptist Church commenced a Sunday School at his father's house in Exmouth Street. The school grew so rapidly that Mr Heath and Mr G Fitness approached the members of the Wellesley Street Church and showed them the need for Sunday School work in Mt Eden. A committee was formed to investigate the matter and was given the power to act with the result that a section was purchased in Mt Eden Road (Lot 19—opposite the Grafton Library, now Gailbraith’s Ale House). This cost eighty two pounds, ten shillings, and a Sunday School Hall was erected on it by Mr G Fitness for one hundred & thirteen pounds eight shillings and seven pence.
In the "New Zealand Herald" dated April 29th 1865 there appeared an article concerning the opening of the Mt Eden Sabbath School. Mr Cornford, Pastor of the Wellesley Street Baptist Church, presided at this meeting. The building was also used for a Sunday evening service, a Monday evening Prayer Meeting and a Thursday evening service.
Very soon this 20 foot x 30 foot Hall became inadequate for the work, and in March 1880 an appeal was made to the Wellesley Street Church for increased accommodation. Again the Church rose to the occasion, and the old section and building were sold for one hundred and eighty pounds and a new building erected on the present site for five hundred and fifty one pounds ten shillings (with section). The opening services were conducted on October 31st, 1880.
Early in 1885 the Wellesley Street Church moved to the present Tabernacle site in Queen Street, and it was felt that the time was right to form an independent church in Mt Eden, and so the Mt Eden Baptist Church was established on September 23rd 1885. The first minister was called in 1886.
In 1906 the Auckland City Council widened Mt Eden Road and this necessitated the shifting of the old building. This opportunity was used to erect the present building for one thousand six hundred pounds. The Church continued to grow until it became recognised as one of Auckland's larger churches, but then the fingers of industrialisation began to push away the congregation. Ministry became increasingly difficult as people moved out to the suburbs and on 1st June 1960 the members offered the use of the property to the Auckland Baptist Association to establish a City Mission.
A board was set up, and the Auckland Baptist City Mission was established on 28th September 1960. Rev B K Macready was invited to become the first Missioner, and arrived from Australia in February 1961.
In August 1983 work was begun on extending the Mission buildings. The new Mission Centre was opened on 8 April, 1984.
It's nice to know that the building is still being used for missionary purposes today.
Linking up with Tuesday Treasures, Happy Tuesdays and Wordless Wednesday.
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| Photo taken in Auckland City - November 2024 |
I think every person in New Zealand is looking forward to Summer. Last year over Spring it rained just about every day. This year we've had big dumps of rain at least once a week. Roll on warmer weather.
Halloween has come and gone here, we usually don't have trick or treaters as we live just out of town so it was a very quiet night.
Linking up with Weekend Reflections, Shadow Shot Sunday and The Weekend Roundup.
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| Photo taken at Karangahape Road in Auckland City - November 2024. |
"Kia ora" is a Maori greeting said here in Aotearoa/New Zealand. It means hi or hello. It's the end of another week. I've recently come to the realisation that I have developed possible arthritis in my hands and arms which is hereditary - my dad has it and so did his mother (my nana) so at the moment I've found taking Glucosamine in capsule form can help. If you have this condition and have any ideas please leave me a comment.
Linking up with Weekend Reflections and the Weekend Roundup.
Grafton, in upper Auckland City is one of my favourite areas to visit. So many old buildings mixed with the new ones.
Linking up with Weekend Reflections and the Weekend Roundup.
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| Photo taken near the Auckland Art Gallery - November 2024. |
Linking up with Weekend Reflections and the Weekend Roundup.
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| Photo taken November 2024 on a rainy Spring day. |
One of my favourite buildings in Auckland City especially also because I use to work on the 3rd floor in the late 1980s. A bit of history about it;
It was designed by Alexander Wiseman and completed in 1912. It is a category 1 historic place that sits on the edge of Princess Wharf looking over the Hauraki Harbour. Construction began in 1909 and is made out of sandstone, brick and Coromandel Granite. Initially the building was home to the headquarters of the 2 main ferry operators in the harbour; the Devonport Steam Ferry Company and Takapuna Tramways Ferry Company. Later tenants of the building included trade unions and consulate offices. Between 1985 and 1988 (when I worked there) each floor was totally refurbished but still maintains the original features.
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| Photo taken the year before in Spring 2023 |
Linking up with Through my lens, Tuesday Treasures, My corner of the world, Wordless Wednesday.
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| Photo taken November 2024 on the outskirts of Auckland City, between upper Karangahep Road and Sandringham |
We have had bursts of rain but so the tank outide is now 2/3 full which is positive and it is rumoured that the hot dry weather will continue through to April. But there's a definite chill in the air, Autumn is on it's way.
Linking up with Weekend Reflections, Shadow Shot Sunday.
I was impressed and amazed how much Auckland City had grown since I use to work here in the 1990s, there has been alot of changes and progress, some of it I don't think has been for the better. This photo was taken in November when Spring was still showering the whole country with non stop rain.
Linking up with Weekend Reflections and the Weekend Roundup.
inking up with Weekend Reflections and the Weekend Roundup.
This is one of my favourite inner city roads - Karangahape Road in central Auckland City has changed over the year. When I was growing up it was full of pubs, ethnic clothing shops etc and was a home for prostitutes to hang out in their various spots. After prostitution was legalised here in 2003, it became less common to see them walking up and down the road. Now K Road as it's now called is mostly full of bars, restaurants, cafes, artist galleries, businesses etc. It's becoming more upmarket.
Linking up with Through my lens, Tuesday Treasures, My corner of the world and Wordless Wednesday.
While driving through Auckland city over the weekend we drove around trying to find this giant Christmas tree in Downtown Square near Britomart train station.
And on the other side of the square these Christmas balls - the same as you would put on your tree but alot bigger in size.
Linking up with Through my lens, Tuesday Treasures, My corner of the world, All Seasons and Wordless Wednesday.
