Happy Independence Day!

As July 4th comes to a close for those of us on Central Time, I just wanted to take a brief moment to wish all my American readers a Happy Independence Day! It was my first time celebrating this day here in America, and I can say that it was a lot of fun. Sure, the Midwest was epically hot (101 F!) but I managed to drag myself downtown to the Arch to the Fair St Louis.

 

The airshow (another first for me) was amazing. These pilots would swoop down along the river (doing what I learned today was called a Hammerhead turn), then spin and turn before pulling up right before the bridge to the East. My, wouldn’t want to be driving along that bridge today!

 

I even managed to convince a friend to back downtown later that night to watch the fireworks, which were certainly an amazing sight, and eat some funnel cakes (which is a cake that is poured out of a jug and deep fried before being coated in powdered sugar. Yes it is delicious!). The train home did take us longer than the actual fireworks themselves, but I will chalk that up to being part of the whole experience.

Happy July 4th!

Castlewood

It’s been awhile since my last update! What can I say, I was really busy then there was a “crash” period where I just didn’t want to do anything once I got home but blob out. Anyway I’ve been going on some Weekend Adventures, most recently to Castlewood. If you will allow me to quote the State Park website:

“City dwellers flocked to Castlewood for weekends of water fun, dancing and clubhouse partying. The grand staircase at the Castlewood depot led to a big hotel, seasonal cabins and clubs. At the bottom of the palisade bluffs, visitors ferried across the river to a large sandbar known as Lincoln Beach. At the height of Castlewood’s popularity, more than 10,000 visitors would descend on the area each summer weekend. [However] following World War II, visitation to Castlewood steadily declined due to air conditioning, better roads and affordable vehicles.”

It was quite a cool day went we were there. We took the River Scene Trail which started off with a steep-ish climb, but levelled off. As its name suggests, the trail follows the Meramac river both ways, looping back to the start. The scenes from the top of the cliff were pretty.

I was highly amused by this series of graffiti at two different stops along the trail (the picture on the right was about a 15 min walk away from the left).

Here are the remains of the grand staircase, which was once a convenient way for travellers to ascend to the top of the cliff. It has since been replaced with wooden stairs.

Lincoln “beach” is actually pretty fascinating. I heard it described as St Louis’ only beach! It’s actually by the Meramac river and it seemed like a popular spot for people to sunbath and fish.

After our walk, we stopped by for a little brunch at Uncle Bill’s. I had chicken & waffles, which I understand is a US speciality. Basically it consists of a whole Belgian waffle and two pieces of fried chicken. My meal also came with a side of mash potatoes and cole slaw. Completely underestimating the size of the dish, I ordered an egg on the side too. And yes, it really was as delicious as it looks!

Travel photos: Back to Auckland

After the wedding, I headed back to Auckland. My heart was both happy and sad at the same time. I loved seeing all my friends, loved catching up with them… but there was a pang of nostalgia when I realised how far away I now was. Somehow seeing everyone else moving on made me feel very left out. Even more so when those who were younger than me were now getting married.

Maybe this is the curse of those who go on to do continued study. You become stuck in one place for four or more years, while your peers go on and get married, have babies, advance in their careers. But enough melodrama and introspection for one day. Back to the beauty of Auckland.

Dad and I went for one more walk up another volcano. This time it was Mt Wellington. The view is perhaps a little less inspiring; the area around Mt Wellington is filled with warehouses and other not so pretty buildings. But it’s easy to forget this once you reach the peak.

You can look out towards the city and, on a clear day, gaze out at Rangitoto Island.

I must say that the beautiful weather, the clear skies, the soft breeze did a lot to break me out of my funk. But more on that another day. I leave you with this last picture from a holiday that was too short. NZ, I will be back!

Travel Photos: From beach to mountain lake

Nowhere in New Zealand is far from the beach. If you’re in the South Island, you are also always near the mountains. We started our morning by the shores of St Clair’s in Dunedin. The weather was beautiful: the sun was shining and the day was calm.

We then drove 4.5 hours to the beautiful mountains of Queenstown. Although the freshwater shores of Lake Wakatipu is in stark contrast to St Clair’s, there is no mistaking the serene peacefulness from both places.

Travel photos: Maraetai beach

One of the many things I love about travelling about New Zealand is the fact that you can always find a beautiful place to chill out less than 30 minutes from any city. Even from a big city like Auckland, you can find these hidden gems like Maraetai beach. I’d never been there before, but I had the car and nothing to do so I thought I’d check it out.

The drive there is like any other road in New Zealand, filled with twists and turns and road works. But when you get there, the sight that greets you is totally worth it.

The beach was almost completely deserted, most likely being a weekday. The weather was perfect, slightly overcast but at 23 degrees C.

Walking along the beach, you will see the beautiful trees that give the coast its name. The pohutukawa are affectionately known as the New Zealand Christmas tree due to its propensity to bloom during Christmas time.

Seabirds are abundant.

I felt like all my stress was draining away as I explored the patch of sand and the remarkable shell beach.

 

Travel photos: Mt Eden

Today was another beautiful 22 degrees C (about 70 F)  and I just had to go on another walk. Luckily dad was keen and he ended up convincing me that we should walk up Mt Eden. This hill, known as Maungawhau (pronounce the “wh-” as an “f-”) in Maori, is another reminder of Auckland’s volcanic heritage. According to Wikipedia, it is also the highest natural point in the whole of Auckland.

The entrance up to Mt Eden

The big attraction of Mt Eden is the gigantic crater left behind when the volcano last erupted.

The crater of Mt Eden

A geological marker stands at the peak of Mt Eden

A view of the crater from the other side

To protect the crater from erosion you’re not allowed to walk down into it, however the view from the walking track around the rim more than makes up for it. From this point, you get stunning 360 degree views of Auckland city. Some places to spot are Eden Park, where some games of the Rugby World Cup were played including the finals, and the Auckland Sky Tower, which is visible in the next picture.

View towards downtown Auckland from the peak

If you look very closely, you can also see the obelisk at the top of the next picture which is where we were in my previous post.

Can you spot where we were?

Tired after our climb, we stopped at the nearby Mt Eden village for a coffee. This is a great time to introduce you to the flat white, which as far as I know is really only obtainable in New Zealand and Australia.

Flat white: my favourite way to have espresso

According to the very knowledgeable Mel, it’s very similar to a latte but with less of the cream and more of the steamed milk. In my mind no other forms of espresso is as tantalising, as satisfying as a flat white but I could be more than a little biased. A good flat white should have a rich texture and very little foam on top, hence the name “flat”. The closest drink I can think of in the US is a cafe au lait, although it is made with espresso rather than drip coffee. We got ours from the Circus Circus cafe in Mt Eden Village. Despite it’s rather pricey food, I highly recommend this place.

Circus Circus cafe in Mt Eden Village

Travel photos: One Tree Hill

The weather was so lovely, I felt that I had to get out of the house. So I took a walk with Dad and tried to take some pictures. It ended up being mainly of the scenery.

Sheep at the base of One Tree Hill, Auckland

We walked around the One Tree Hill domain/Cornwall Park. There used to be a tree here which inspired the name, but it was cut down about 11 years ago by an activist as a protest against the loss of Maori rights. Whether or not this act was justified is yet to be seen although the Auckland city council is currently working on replacing the tree.

The hill itself is the peak of a volcano, about 182 metres high. On a clear day it provides stunning views of Auckland’s skyline and surrounding harbours. Unfortunately my camera does not have a good lens and the pictures I took of these views ended up being too blurry.

Some other views along the hillside:

and the archery range:

Being a volcanic remnant, there are rocks here that were formed by the cooled lava. In one of the craters, some have taken to “creatively” rearrange these rocks.

I love walking up here as it reminds me to take a step back and look at the big picture in life.