Auckland

We gave ourselves exactly 2 half-days in Auckland -- enough time to visit with Coral, Margaret's cousin, and have lunch the next day with our friend George.

Coral's yard.  The flat area was once a tennis court.

I had never visited the Stanley Bay area of Devonport, a harbourside suburb in Auckland, so I was delighted to stay with Coral in her Stanley Point villa.

Coral's house on Stanley Point

Her property looks across to the Auckland Harbour Bridge and goes down the hill to the water and a private beach.

On Coral's veranda

Auckland Harbour Bridge from the veranda.

A rather lovely old villa with fenced yard.

A more modest bungalow..

This is a lovely part of  Auckland with beautiful older homes
dating from the early 1900's.  They are primarily wooden with verandas and lots of intricate scroll work. I couldn't resist a few pictures.

Hedged, gated property

The next day, we saw George in his new apartment, and were seated around the headmaster's desk that dominates his main room while he quizzed me over the top of his glasses about the "vagueness" of my Christmas letter.  I felt a great impulse to  promise that I would "do better next time, Dr. Marshall".  He is a sweet man with a great sense of humour so there is the possibility that  he was not completely serious!     

We had a very elegant lunch at the Cornwall Park Restaurant in the One Tree Hill Domain. Jim and Margaret recall having had tea here when they were first dating and the restaurant was simply known as "The Kiosk" .

George, Bruce and Nancy

George, Margaret and Jim