A Walk in the Park

As we enter our seventh week in lockdown it’s easy for me to forgot just how hard this can be for others. That’s not to say that we are living the Life of Riley - the novelty of being able to stay in pyjamas all day wore off a long time ago - but we do have it quite good. Okay, I’m underselling that, we have it pretty darn good really. All things being considered.

We’ve got a comfortable and safe house, putting aside mishaps with boiling water and accidentally giving myself concussion by banging my head on the front step....don't ask, and we have a nice view out of the window. But above all that, we have Auckland Domain on our doorstep. Yes, having one of Auckland's best parks within a few hundred metres of our house has been a lifeline, and at 75 hectares it's one of the largest, at least according to Wikipedia!. It's so close that even the most hard-nosed of hard-nosed policeman wouldn't be able to grumble about us not sticking to the rules and staying within our local area. Good job really, because we spend an awful lot of time in there!

It’s a beautiful space and we’re so lucky to have it as our backyard, especially now it’s spring. At the moment it’s a riot of colour and life which makes our government morning constitutional so much more pleasant. This morning was particularly pleasant - the cold wind had abated and the sun was making its presence felt. In fact it was so nice, I just have to share some photos........

Stepping out of the front door this morning one could almost forget Auckland was in lockdown. In fact, if we didn't have the park, we wouldn't have to go far to get amongst some greenery. It's just a shame that the driveway is only 100m long.

A quick walk up the street and across Parnell Road and then we're in the park. This is usually a much busier road. Maybe lockdowns aren't so bad after all?

Signs of life. Plants are coming up already. I’m tempted to call these Snowdrops but I really haven’t got a clue

This old tree fascinates me. It looks like something out of a Tim Burton movie. Kids love climbing in the branches and playing hide and seek amongst the roots. 

Poppies! Does anyone not like these flowers? Guaranteed to cheer anyone up.

The pond was still this morning - almost a perfect reflection.

Hey, shouldn’t you lot be in the pond? 

Football Road and the first sight of Auckland’s Skytower. 

When tulips are like this I can see why people fought over them.

This innocent looking bench is actually an instrument of torture. We meet our trainer here on Saturday mornings in the summer.....the bench plays a key part in the pain!

More colour near the Sensory Garden

The view from the museum out across Hauraki Gulf toward Rangitoto is wonderful. This is a popular spot to exercise and take in the view - a bit quieter today though. 

And there you have it - the total trip if you were to walk it takes around 40 minutes to complete - so I've saved you a bit of time there. If you had more time, there's a Fernery, Wintergardens and tree covered slopes to enjoy. For those who are a little more activity minded, the loop around the sports fields is a convenient and flat 1 mile long. On a normal day, The Sri Chinmoy Peace Mile is a blaze of running vests, your's truly included. Not today though. I'm in no rush and don't feel the need to test my stamina. Instead I've taken it easy and enjoyed the sights, smells and sounds of Auckland Domain. Running can wait. Besides, there's aways tomorrow......

In Search of the Eastern Rosella

It is said that when Captain Cook arrived off the shore of Aotearoa in the ship Endeavour he noted the deafening noise of the bird life.

Although records no longer exist of the exact moment, I can imagine the scene; Sun glistening on the Pacific Ocean, the Endeavour quietly moving towards the shore and Captain James Cook standing on the deck, marvelling at the sounds emanating from the shore. Slowly, he takes a deep breath of warm air and proclaims…. “Bloody hell that’s a racket and an ‘arf. Pipe down you lot will yer - I was trying to get some shut eye!” Like I say records are lost.

As an island archipelago, with no land mammals to act as predators, New Zealand accumulated bird life like no other place on earth. Unfortunately since the arrival of humans, many of these species have been lost. Such as the moa, a giant flightless emu-like bird that stood nearly 4m tall and weighed 240 kilos, whilst others are nearing extinction. 

So you would be forgiven for thinking that, because we live within the urban area of the country's largest city that birdlife would be relatively scarce. Thankfully we are are lucky to live next to some of the city's biggest parks and with that naturally comes some birdlife......

Tui 

Ah the Tui. One of New Zealand most iconic birds and the one that greeted us on our first morning as New Zealand residents. Due to the wonders of jet-jag, I was wide awake yet absolutely exhausted as the sun rose one August morning in 2014. Through the fog of tiredness I wasn't quite sure where I was - the surroundings certainly weren't familiar. Then I heard one of the most amazing yet alien sounds. What sound? Well if you imagine what R2-D2 would sound like if it were a bird, then you'd be pretty close to the sound I heard that morning. And with that sound it all came flooding back….. Oh my god what had we done? We'd left perfectly sound careers in the UK, packed up our belongings, said tearful au-revoirs to family members and travelled half-way around the globe in search of adventure.

The Tui call welcomed us on our first morning and still does to this day and acts, if we ever needed one, as a reminder that we're not in Kansas anymore!

Kereru 

Although not blessed with a call quite as unique as the Tui, the New Zealand pigeon has its own signature sound - the noise of its wings in flight. These are huge birds, the Hercules plane of the bird world, and you can hear them in flight long before you see them. A whoop-whoop-whoop and then the Kereru comes into view. I sometimes wonder, when it lands on the branch of a tree, whether the poor support will take the weight of the bird. It always does of course, but not first without seriously bending under the weight.

I don't get to see these so regularly, but every now and again, I spot one on my morning route. And every time I stop and wonder…how on earth do these things take-off!

Sacred Kingfisher

Sacred Kingfishers are wonderful and line up on the fence near our house in the morning, no doubt resting before heading back to the pond that's in the park at the bottom of the hill. 

Since lockdown, I'm convinced that they're getting more prevalent. Or braver. Either way, it's a joy to stand and watch them watching before I head off for my morning run. 

Morepork or Ruru

Being a nocturnal animal, the Morepork is rarely seen or heard during the day - but can certainly be heard at night. Their sound is so distinctive - so distinctive in fact that they're named after it. To some the call sounded like they were calling "More-pork". And so the name stuck. I’m not totally convinced myself. I guess you can sort of hear the resemblance. And why would a bird be asking for pork in the first place?

As we're settling down for the night, blinds drawn and light out, it's comforting to hear the Morepork setting itself up for the night. 

Piwakawaka or Fantail

Our first encounter with the Fantail came a few weeks after we first arrived in New Zealand. We were walking around a Regional Park one morning after a damp night and as we walked on the grass, Fantails danced at our feet. What strange behaviour! Why were they doing that? As we later discovered, they were feeding on the insects that our steps had disturbed, swooping down and catching them mid-flight.

They are amazing to watch - they use their distinctive tail feathers to make quick turns as they dart around looking for food - and guaranteed to brighten up any lockdown walk in the park!

The Eastern Rosella

And so to the Eastern Rosella. We first spotted these in our local park, Auckland Domain, not long after we settled in Parnell. We'd never seen such brightly coloured birds in the wild so mistakingly assumed they'd escaped from captivity. Well you would wouldn't you. The fact that we didn't see any more for another year or two only added to that misconception. 

Then, whilst walking around the Domain on the way to work, we saw some more - this time there were two of them - foraging in the grass. I had to take a photo but no sooner had I taken my phone out of my pocket they were off. 

We now see them quite regularly on our runs and walks around the park. I've still never managed to capture them on camera - I guess they're just photo shy. Don't blame them really. 

In the last few weeks, as human activity has been curtailed by the recent lockdown, they appear to have ventured further from their base and we quite often seen them in the trees in our street. This morning, as the warmth of the early morning spring sun fell on the street, about five Eastern Rosellas flew from tree to tree. Wonderful. I'm sure I could've caught it on camera.....but I'd left my phone in the house charging. I think they must've known. Sneaky sods. 

So there you have it - a quick tour of the local birdlife, or at least the most interesting ones. There are others in abundance - yes I'm talking about you Common Mynah but no-one is going to get awestruck over you. Strutting around like you own the place. 

We are so lucky to live so close to the city but be surrounded by nature and the Domain and it’s inhabitants has been a lifeline during the lockdowns. Admittedly, there are times, especially during the summer months, when the windows are open and the morning chorus is quite deafening and sleep-disturbing that I sometimes wish they were a little quieter. Maybe Captain Cook had a point afterall.

Lolly Scramble

It's come to my attention, that after nearly seven years of writing a blog about life in New Zealand, I appear to have overlooked one crucial aspect. Lollies. Or, if you're not from around these parts, sweets. Putting aside the fact that sweets are called lollies and don't have sticks - well actually some do but I guess they're just called lollies with sticks - there are some amazing confectionery treasures that are quintessentially New Zealand. 

At the risk of walking on the thinnest of thin ice, and upsetting my Kiwi friends and colleagues, here's my top Kiwi lollies. 

Pineapple Lumps

Folklore says that in the beginning, back when The Creator was giving out stuff, the Middle East got oil and South Africa got diamonds, whilst New Zealand had to make do with Pineapple Lumps. And there isn't anyone in New Zealand who doesn't think that deal was unfair. At least according to the TV advert.

On paper they sound horrendous; a chewy pineapple marshmallowy type centre coated in chocolate, but in the mouth they are nectar from the Gods. If there was such a thing as pineapple flavoured nectar that is. Be warned though, these things are addictive and one leads to two and before you know it the whole packet has disappeared. 

Jet Planes

The original Jet Planes are the best, by a large margin, but these lollies are so ubiquitous that almost every sweet manufacturer worth their salt...err sugar... makes their own version. The copy-cat version, or Fake Planes as they have become known in our household, can usually be picked in clear plastic bags in the local dairy. Or corner shop. Quite how a wine gum like sweet in the shape of a jet plane became a New Zealand classic is a mystery. Probably best not to delve to deeply and just enjoy the chewy fruitiness. 

Minties

It is tempting to dismiss these as sweets but that would be harsh. Yes they are mint flavoured, and international standards dictate that mint-flavoured things should not be classed as confectionary, but they hold a special place in our household. To be clear, not for their contents but for their wrappers. The contents are just white-coloured mint flavoured toffee. Nothing to write home about, but the wrappers now they are something special. 

Each sweet is enclosed within a cartoon adorned wrapper, depicting a scene where a mishap has occurred with the phrase "It's moments like these you need Minties". Almost worth eating a mint-flavoured sweet for.

Jaffas

I'm not sure whether these should be classed as a sweet or a weapon. The problem is that these little round balls look so innocent that it can come as quite a shock when you pop one in your mouth. In essence, these are sugar coated chocolate balls - so sound quite delightful - but somehow the candy coating has been made to military strength. These little bastards are rock hard and could easily be used as replacement ball bearings in machinery. Probably would last longer too. If you do manage to bite into one without shattering your teeth then the orange flavoured chocolate is pleasant. Enjoy, but make sure you have a dentist on speed dial just in case

Chocolate Fish

Is there anybody in the world who doesn’t enjoy a chocolate fish? The creaminess of the chocolate  and the colour of the marshmallow may differ with brands but the iconicity stays the same. The pink mini ones most often found in dairies are dangerous in that you could probably eat a dozen before wondering if maybe you should stop. Chocolate fish are probably the only sweets on this list that you could put on a fancy dessert platter and get away with it. Oh and they're not fish flavoured either in case you were wondering. You weren't? Oh good.

Whitakers Berry and Biscuit

I know it's risky putting a chocolate bar in a list of sweets, especially when it's posh chocolate. So before you start to type an angry response to this crime, just remember this. It's my blog and I make the rules. Besides, since Cadbury's was bought out by a multi-national and closed the factory in Dunedin, it's hard to recommend Cadbury as a New Zealand sweet. Cadbury chocolates were first made in New Zealand in 1930 when the British company linked up with Dunedin confectioner Richard Hudson and his Castle St Factory. But now? Well if you buy a Cadbury's chocolate in New Zealand there's a good chance that it will have been made in Tasmania. I know, mad isn't it.

When we first came to New Zealand, Whitakers were producing a kiwi fruit chocolate - little bits of kiwi fruit flavoured gum covered in chocolate. I couldn't get enough of it. But inexplicably, soon after it disappeared from shelves. I can’t have possibly munched my way through the entire nation’s stock. Could I? Anyway it would've made this list but is now extinct so instead I'm putting the Whitakers Berry and Biscuit on my list. Bits of berry flavoured gum and crunchy biscuit coated in Whitakers super smooth, velvety chocolate. Mmmmm.

RJ's Raspberry Choc Twists

Whoever came up with the idea of filling a raspberry liquorice stick with chocolate deserves a Nobel Prize for Confectionary. Thinking outside the box - or wrapper in this case - has never produced such stunning results. Almost an inside out Jaffa (see above) but with less risk to your dental work. Bite into the chewy liquorice and almost be immediately met with -solid chocolate centre. A kiwi classic and made in the local factory in Levin.

So there you have it. My favourite kiwi lollies/sweets/chocolate/weapons. Take your pick. Yes I know I’ve overlooked sour cola bottles, Y2K bugs and a whole host of others. I’ll leave these for another blog. In the meantime I’ve got a list of biscuits to compile….

Drive Thru

I’ve never really got the point of drive-thrus, or anything that’s a car-bound form of entertainment. It's not that I've got anything against cars, it's just that I've always seen the as more of a mode of transport and not a great basis for entertaining. I mean, aren't you just better off going the to the regular version?

Not convinced? Well take drive-in movies for example. Sure they look super cool in the movies, pulling up in your convertible on a warm summer night whilst you sit back, relax and enjoy a film. Who wouldn't want to spend the evening sitting in a car park....sorry parking lot.

But who’s exactly relaxed sitting in a car? Surely the windscreen is going to obscure some of the view. And how do you get Dolby Surround? And what about the toilets? There’s just far too much faff to make it a worthwhile experience. In my opinion, and I'm sure you'll see I'm right on this, is when I’ve travelled somewhere, I want to get out of the vehicle and enjoy the place I’ve just taken the effort to travel to. If I’m just going to sit in my vehicle I might as well have stayed home and put Netflix on.

Ah yes, but what about Drive Thru fast food joints I hear you ask? What about them? Avoid at all costs is what I say. Putting aside Leo Geotz's views for a moment, if the need to eat a burger is so great, you should at least have the decency to pop into the restaurant and buy it. At least you’ll have somewhere to eat it. At a Drive Thru options are somewhat limited. Again, just think of the problems. Where do you put your food before you eat it? What happens when, inevitably, you drop ketchup on your trousers? What about the smell? And the packaging? Surely you're going to have to get out of your vehicle at some point to put away the wrappers, wash your hands or clean your clothes. Save the hassle and go into the restaurant in the first instance.

Which is why, and a rather a long winded way to get to the point I agree, I was pleasantly surprised the other day when I attended a Drive Thru event and it all seemed to work.

No I hadn't lost my senses and decided to grab a burger on my way somewhere. Instead I got vaccinated. I can't believe I'm typing this, but it was actually a very well thought out and smooth operation. Although I already had an appointment for a later date, I'd heard rumours that the recently opened Drive Thru vaccination centre at the airport was available to all comers and all you had to do was turn up with your national health number.

And so it was. Ideally located in unused Park and Ride facility just next to Auckland Airport you just drove up. The first person you met scanned you in to the facility as part of the track and trace system, the next person allocated your vehicle to a lane and scribbled your details on the windscreen, and that was it. Just a simple drive down the allocated lane to a large tent, wind down your window and pop! Jabbed. Or vaccinated as we used to call before the media got in on the act and decided that jab sounded more dramatic. And took up less column inches presumably. 

After the injection, I was directed to an empty parking spot where another team member wrote my departure time on the windscreen. Assuming there were no complications - which there weren't - after 20 minutes I was free to leave. 

The whole thing took less than half an hour from start to finish and couldn't have been easier. Which is a good job because New Zealand seriously needs to catch up. Get it's bottom into gear and get the vaccinations rolling out. 

Although our virus elimination success is the envy of many, it's fair to say that our vaccination program has been somewhat lacking. Or at least it has when compared to other OECD nations. In some quarters this is seen as a failure of the Government but to others more of a sense of priority. With so few cases in the community, and limited bargaining power with the pharmaceutical companies due to our small population size, why prioritise vaccination? I can sort of see the point. The arrival of the Delta strain in Aotearoa has changed the game plan making elimination more difficult but with vaccines arriving into the country in bulk, were catching up. 

It has dipped a little in the last fews days, but our rate of vaccination surpassed most people's expectations. In some ways I suspect that the recent outbreak jolted many into action. What ever the reason, it's heartening to see. At the time of writing, 57% of those eligible for the vaccine have had at least one dose and with 60,000 being administered every day we're heading in the right direction. It might not be as quick as some would have liked, but the fact that in such a short space of time since the start of the outbreak we now have a vaccine being rolled out across the country is a miracle. It really is.

And so, on an overcast late winter's day, I took the first step down the road to vaccination and in five weeks I'll be done. Disappointingly I didn't become magnetic, not even for a little bit, and my 5G reception hasn't improved any. Never mind. But perhaps the most surprising thing of all is that I didn't even have to get out of the car to do it. Now that's miraculous.

Lockdown Lunacy

I really did think that my first blog in a while would've been on the subject of anything other than Covid-19 and lockdowns. Yet here we are, in the second half of 2021 with Aotearoa being in the grips of another outbreak.

Well, actually, when I say "grip", it's probably a bit misleading and definitely an overstatement in comparison to other parts of the world. In the interests of clarity, let me summarise exactly where we are. 

Just a few weeks ago, one case of Covid-19 was detected in Auckland and by the end of that day the PM put the whole country into a Level 4 lockdown - the strictest response setting to a Covid-19 outbreak. Cue mass outrage from the media. But not, as you might have presumed, from within New Zealand. Instead the howls of derision came from the UK and the US. countries, I'm sure you'll agree, with an excellent pedigree of dealing with the virus effectively. Unfortunately for them, over 75% of the New Zealand was supportive of the swift action taken to stop the spread of the virus in its tracks. How inconsiderate of us. "Well if Kiwis can't be bothered to muster an appropriate level of indignation, then I guess we'll have to do it for them", said the UK and US media. Or words to that effect. 

Even the ever-present boil on the arse of humanity Nigel Farage, felt compelled to get in on the pile-on tweeting "Jacinda Ardern has lost her marbles. New Zealand goes into full lockdown after a single Covid case." And it didn't stop there. The rant continued over on GB News  "Jacinda Ardern, the recently re-elected Prime Minister of New Zealand, held up by so many in the world to be this wonderful, fantastic, exciting woman... But now what she's done - one case of COVID a 58-year-old man, and she's locking down the country. She's locking down the whole country for three days, including both islands - I mean work that one out - and parts of the country for a full seven days. That means everything is closed, at least that is my understanding of it." 

In some ways it's reassuring to know that, even with all the changes the world is going through, you can relay on Farage being an ignorant twat. It having nothing to do with him and knowing sweet f-all about it has never stopped him before. But here's the thing Nigel. One case doesn't stay one case. Have you not been paying attention? Pretty soon one becomes six, six becomes thirty-six, thirty-six becomes a hundred, a hundred becomes six-hundred.

But he wasn't the only one. Others chipped in with their I-reckons. The general gist of the headlines, was of those wacky Hobbits, cutting themselves off from the rest of the world for the sake of trying to eliminate the virus from within their borders. They shouldn't bother and be more like us. Why waste time, effort and more importantly money on such a lost cause?

Of course, a key piece of context was missing from the reports. Just how successful we've been and how, for over a year now, have been living a normal life, or as close to one as is possible in these pandemic times. At times it's been easy to forget that there was a pandemic raging across the globe. Restaurants and bars were open, packed music festivals have been held, and schools have been uninterrupted. All without restrictions. If anything, those reports were a good reminder of how much of a global outlier we are when it comes to keeping the virus out of the community, at least most of the time, and .....here's the thing.... saving lives.

When asked by a reporter what she would say to people who questioned the need for such tight restrictions, Ardern responded with one word: “Australia. We’ve seen the dire consequences of taking too long to act in other countries, not least our neighbours,” Ardern said. “We have seen what can happen elsewhere if we fail to get on top of it. We only get one chance.”

Just across the ditch, New South Wales have today recorded another 1,533 cases of the Delta variant and four more deaths. Its' a sobering reminder of the devastation that the virus can bring if it's not taken seriously enough.  

“We are one of the last countries in the world to have the Delta variant in our community,” Ardern added. “This has given us the chance to learn from others. While this is a situation no one wants to be in, there are benefits to being amongst the last … to learn from experience overseas, and what actions work and what actions don’t.”

Go hard, and go early has worked for New Zealand before and there's no reason why it shouldn't again, even with the trickier strain that is Delta. And New Zealand definitely does lockdowns properly. For once, Farage got something right when he said "...everything is closed..." because it is. Except for essential services - and no that doesn't include shoes shops or cafes - everything is shut during our Level 4 restrictions. Go hard. 

So far it appears to be working. Today new case numbers dropped to 20. Ordinarily, this would've been good news but unfortunately it came with news of a death from a Covid-19 related illness. Our first since February and brings the total deaths to 27 since the start of the pandemic. There is still some way to go but it is at least encouraging that the temporary sacrifice of personal freedom is saving lives. Elimination of the Delta variant from within our borders is tantalisingly close. 

What is true, however, is that New Zealand can't keep itself to itself for ever and at some point will have to emerge from our "Hobbit caves". The Delta variant has changed the game a little bit, and no doubt future variants will do the same, so we need to take a careful look at our game plan. 

Will we stay the course with elimination in six months time? As the world’s most vaccinated countries open up further, and vaccinate more, over the next few months options will become clearer. In the meantime, we still have time to vaccinate and then, in the words of Michael Baker, ​a member of New Zealand Ministry of Health's Pandemic Influenza Technical Advisory Group, “choose our future”.