None of the Above (Auckland, New Zealand)

Ah, civilisation, well, a reliable internet connection dear reader. It makes all the difference. 

We left Coro around 8:15am. While not raining, the day did not look particularly promising. The low cloud was obscuring any colour the surrounding waterways might reflect, making photography redundant. On a sunny day, from any lookout on the Coromandel Peninsula, the views are magic and the colours in the water breath taking shades of blue.

Courtesy of aoteabandb.co.nz

But not today, so we commenced the 54km sinuous journey back to Thames where we thought we would stop for coffee and petrol. The drive was remarkably uneventful, no blue Corolla this time. The drive was around an hour and we parked in the main street in search of a café.

The main street in Thames is extremely long. I think we walked about half of it and there is a café every 10 other shops. No really. Making the decision where to stop really problematic. In the end, tired of walking, we stumbled across, Food for Thought Café. Impressed by the name and the awards for their home made pies displayed in the window, we stopped there. The coffee, again, proved to be good. I have not had a bad coffee since we arrived. The pie too was a winner. A great, if by chance, choice for a stop.

There was not a lot of action between Thames and Auckland, mostly highway driving. We arrived late morning, checked in, left the car and the bags and went exploring. The waterfront is under serious reconstruction and there are pedestrian redirections everywhere. Undeterred, we continued and found another great place for coffee in the Britomart area. Then continued our walk down to Queen's Wharf, picked up a few tourist brochures and pushed on to the Prince's Wharf and Viaduct and the Wynyard precinct. We stopped to watch the bridge being raised to allow yachts in and out.

I think this is the defender.

So, one of the wharves we wandered across is the home for the America's Cup 2021 challenge. You read more here, if you are interested. I'm not. I didn't even know NZ had the cup. The challenger isn't even American. I mean, really. Anyway, the Kiwis seem pretty keen. Apparently they like accruing world cups, you know, rugby and stuff. A pity about the cricket. Bahahahahaha!

Anyway, they have built a special base from which to defend the cup. And it's a nice walk on a sunny day and at the end there are bars and restaurants. At least that is interesting.

The before picture

Of course, if you are admiring the scenery and enjoying the walk and the weather, one should keep alert for poles and sirens. We saw a guy walk straight into a pole on the wharf while his eyes were fastened on some floating bank loan. He was a solid guy and it knocked him flat, broke his sun glasses and cut his head. People, including us, came from everywhere to assist him. Then there is siren danger, especially on a bridge that opens. It means that you should hurry along. Apparently. Well, I didn't know. Once safely on the other side we watched the bridge go up and millions of dollars float past.

And after. I'm  not sure I can afford to even look at that boat

The boat in the above picture is named Janice of Wyoming. I would like to see her sailed all the way home. US geography is not my area of specialisation, but I always believed Wyoming was the mid-west. One of the states that figured heavily in the westerns of my childhood. It doesn't spring to mind as a home for sailors. I'd love to see a future America's Cup challenge there. I think anyone from Darwin might have a tactical edge. An obscure reference, yes my dear reader, it might be time for some research. Todd River regatta should help there.

Dinner tonight was at Vivacé. Sorry, I'm not a huge fan of photographing food. Well, on occasion, if I remember. Regardless, we found this place by accident, but you should look it up. Awesome. great tapas menu, hot and cold, as well as main meals. Great wine list, fantastic  service. What more do you want? Book here.

Another day over. Tomorrow, Wine Island. That's the stuff dreams are made of ... well my dreams, even if the sentence finishes with a preposition.

The title? Well, I had nothing, restricted by the desire to use only NZ songs, so I went random ... None of the Above is from the 2005 Shihad album Love is the New Hate. Great album title.

Until then.