Auckland & Sydney Day 1
Auckland & Sydney Day 1
Hello Fellow cyber travelers
I was out of touch for awhile because I didn't have
access to the internet and because I received some
very sad news that my sister-in-law, Rosalie in
Michigan, became very ill and passed away from a heart
attack over the weekend. Trying to reach to my brother
and his family became very difficult from around the
world. My hope is that you each may put my brother
and his children in your thoughts and/or prayers
during their time of grief.
Rosalie was always a person with a very kind and
giving heart. I spoke to her a couple weeks before I
left just as she had just left the hospital and she
was still positive with all her health problems.
--------------------------------
This weekend I spent with a retired couple that live
in the Manakau area near the Auckland Airport. I
spent one night in downtown Auckland at a Bed and
Breakfast just a few blocks from the Sky City Tower,
one of the tallest in the world. The area reminded of
some areas I know in Atlanta with a mix of high-rise
towers and old homes.
The first night I roamed Customs and Queens street,
both filled with people even late at night, ate at a
wonderful Japanese Sushi/Sake bar and then off to ride
up to the top of the needle tower to view the city in
the dark.
A vast area of sparkling lights and ribbons of moving
diamonds, headlights, and rubies, taillights wandering
throughout the city below me. It was nearly
completely silent at the top level as a walked 360
degrees several times studying the array of tall
buildings with their 20 ft or taller signs that looked
like fine print from the sky above.
In the morning I wandered to meet two professional
speakers: Pat and Leigh at a Starbucke's downtwon at
the corner of Queens and Customs streets. We had
great fun talking about our mutual profession and our
personal goals and plans with our work. We discussed
many things having fun doing so.
Then I roamed the downtown area further out and found
more Saturday life: newly created weekly market,
minature bungy jumping for kids, art gallerys, a
history museum, great pastry shops and walked by many
different street performers: mimes (move for silver,
sing for gold), a 12 year old puppeteer, two brothers
playing pianos on the sidewalk, a group with electric
guitars, preachers trying to save the passerbys,
souvenir sellers.
At 3:00 I returned to Starbucks to meet the president
of the New Zealand Speakers Association-Lisa Cook. We
spent the next 4 hours getting to know each other
while she took me around to a couple geyser mountains
to view Auckland from and to a tremendous tea shop
with 150 to 200 teas or it seemed that way. Then we
picked up some Lebanese lamb wrap type sandwiches and
then she drove me to my host home.
Sunday my hosts drove me all around Auckland to many
mountain tops, beaches, harbors, parks to show me
many, many different views of the beautiful city.
Eddie and Kathleen were terrific hosts and made me
feel like family the whole time.
We went to the Auckland history museum that has a
tremendous Maori exhibit and other cultural exhibits.
There we met up with a long time NZ email artist
friend, Cathy de Suton. Hi Cathy. She and I had a
fun time walking and talking around the exhibit then
we all had lunch in the museum cafe.
The whole weekend was fabulous.
This morning Eddie and Kathleen drove me to the
airport and I flew to Sydney (3 hours) where I was met
by another cyber friend who I have met in the states
Ian English.
Ian and I met at the Innovation Network's annual conference held at the Evergreen Conference Center at Stone Mountain Park east of Atlanta in 1997.
He drove me around the main downtown
area of Sydney pointing out sites and we spent time
arranging for train tickets and a hotel for tomorrow.
Then off to his home to meet up with Diane, his wife.
Shortly afterward the 3 of us went off to grocery shop
where we had fun, 3 right-brainers shopping without a
list, or actually a found list in an empty shopping
cart. You had to be there.
Then tonight a group of internet creativity friends
came to Ian and Diane's home for fun and to meet each
other, including Charles Cave. We started off playing some Improv games in their very large multi-purpose front room then had a
great pot luck dinner, followed by hours of great
sharing.
A great 3 days.
Off to downtown Sydney tomorrow.
Alan
___
Hello Fellow cyber travelers
I was out of touch for awhile because I didn't have
access to the internet and because I received some
very sad news that my sister-in-law, Rosalie in
Michigan, became very ill and passed away from a heart
attack over the weekend. Trying to reach to my brother
and his family became very difficult from around the
world. My hope is that you each may put my brother
and his children in your thoughts and/or prayers
during their time of grief.
Rosalie was always a person with a very kind and
giving heart. I spoke to her a couple weeks before I
left just as she had just left the hospital and she
was still positive with all her health problems.
--------------------------------
This weekend I spent with a retired couple that live
in the Manakau area near the Auckland Airport. I
spent one night in downtown Auckland at a Bed and
Breakfast just a few blocks from the Sky City Tower,
one of the tallest in the world. The area reminded of
some areas I know in Atlanta with a mix of high-rise
towers and old homes.
The first night I roamed Customs and Queens street,
both filled with people even late at night, ate at a
wonderful Japanese Sushi/Sake bar and then off to ride
up to the top of the needle tower to view the city in
the dark.
A vast area of sparkling lights and ribbons of moving
diamonds, headlights, and rubies, taillights wandering
throughout the city below me. It was nearly
completely silent at the top level as a walked 360
degrees several times studying the array of tall
buildings with their 20 ft or taller signs that looked
like fine print from the sky above.
In the morning I wandered to meet two professional
speakers: Pat and Leigh at a Starbucke's downtwon at
the corner of Queens and Customs streets. We had
great fun talking about our mutual profession and our
personal goals and plans with our work. We discussed
many things having fun doing so.
Then I roamed the downtown area further out and found
more Saturday life: newly created weekly market,
minature bungy jumping for kids, art gallerys, a
history museum, great pastry shops and walked by many
different street performers: mimes (move for silver,
sing for gold), a 12 year old puppeteer, two brothers
playing pianos on the sidewalk, a group with electric
guitars, preachers trying to save the passerbys,
souvenir sellers.
At 3:00 I returned to Starbucks to meet the president
of the New Zealand Speakers Association-Lisa Cook. We
spent the next 4 hours getting to know each other
while she took me around to a couple geyser mountains
to view Auckland from and to a tremendous tea shop
with 150 to 200 teas or it seemed that way. Then we
picked up some Lebanese lamb wrap type sandwiches and
then she drove me to my host home.
Sunday my hosts drove me all around Auckland to many
mountain tops, beaches, harbors, parks to show me
many, many different views of the beautiful city.
Eddie and Kathleen were terrific hosts and made me
feel like family the whole time.
We went to the Auckland history museum that has a
tremendous Maori exhibit and other cultural exhibits.
There we met up with a long time NZ email artist
friend, Cathy de Suton. Hi Cathy. She and I had a
fun time walking and talking around the exhibit then
we all had lunch in the museum cafe.
The whole weekend was fabulous.
This morning Eddie and Kathleen drove me to the
airport and I flew to Sydney (3 hours) where I was met
by another cyber friend who I have met in the states
Ian English.
Ian and I met at the Innovation Network's annual conference held at the Evergreen Conference Center at Stone Mountain Park east of Atlanta in 1997.
He drove me around the main downtown
area of Sydney pointing out sites and we spent time
arranging for train tickets and a hotel for tomorrow.
Then off to his home to meet up with Diane, his wife.
Shortly afterward the 3 of us went off to grocery shop
where we had fun, 3 right-brainers shopping without a
list, or actually a found list in an empty shopping
cart. You had to be there.
Then tonight a group of internet creativity friends
came to Ian and Diane's home for fun and to meet each
other, including Charles Cave. We started off playing some Improv games in their very large multi-purpose front room then had a
great pot luck dinner, followed by hours of great
sharing.
A great 3 days.
Off to downtown Sydney tomorrow.
Alan
___
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