Auckland – sport: rugby
Saturday, 2 July 2022 – we had tickets to Eden Park for the first game in the Steinlager Series between Ireland and New Zealand.
Nothing about the game looked easy for Ireland.
Continue reading
Auckland – shorn
“If something is shorn, it’s trimmed, clipped, or shaved. A shorn sheep is considerably less fluffy than one that isn’t shorn.”
My hair and I have a difficult relationship, one that challenges the most caring of professionals. At least, that was the case, until I went to New Zealand, where things changed.
I arrived there out of a hectic time, with my hair as dishevelled as pampas grass. A few blustery weeks later, even my cap had begun to complain, so I made some enquiries.
Continue reading
Auckland – Finding Parnell
The North Shore was a fine place to stay, but leaving it was not so easy … at least not the way I did it.
I’d been lent an old car to simplify my trips to the centre of Auckland. The car, a veteran of the beaches and foothills of New Zealand, sat low on the road, leaking sand and old trainers.
“It’ll get you anywhere,” said the owners of the car.
“Sure,” I replied.
Continue reading
The Phraser 