Saturday 7^th April. Today Toby, Sylvie and I took Snowy to the kennels. It was so sad saying bye to him but Bethells (where he stays) is a great place for dogs. They have a tv for the dogs, a leather sofa and mini wendy houses for them. Snowy was immediately at home and we have been looking on their facebook page where they upload photos of the dogs to see if we can see him. We then went down to Bethells beach and had a lovely lunch before walking around to the beach itself. The scenery was so dramatic and gorgeous. Sylvie and I planned to go in what we thought were the shallow waves but the waves were huge and were coming in fast and I ended up getting soaked up to my waist. We then walked over to a little cave before going back to Titirangi.

Last day with year 2 in Mrs Morgan’s class. They did maths work in groups, some were working with the teacher, others were doing maths on the active board, doing maths games and math sheets. I went around assisting the various groups. They also sang maths songs to learn their two times tables and they were so cute doing actions and singing in their kiwi accents. It was so sad leaving them as even though I spent more time with year 5, I prefer the year 2s. Lots of them made me pictures and were telling me their connections with England. Maddie, a little girl, asked if I would come back and teach her in a few years. 

Friday 30^th and Saturday 31^st March. The annual Titirangi music festival is on at the moment. During the festival there are lots of different acts performing through the day and evening in multiple venues such as the theatre, hardware cafe and RSA. On Friday evening Tanya had some friends over and cooked her amazing paella and sangria. I then joined them as we went up to the Titirangi RSA to watch The Nukes. The Nukes are a trio of ukulele players who write and sing their own songs. They were really good even though we didn’t have the best of seats. On Saturday I went to Sylvia Park shopping centre in South Auckland. It was a rough area but I got what I wanted. When I was coming back on the bus into Titirangi there were street performers outside the shops on a stage with lots of people dancing to the trumpets and singers. Sylvie had her friends over for an April fools party but Tanya and I went out to the theatre in the evening to see cabaret artist Victoria Girling-Butcher. She was lovely and some of her guests were brilliant. They played soft rock and she explained to her blind father what was going on in between songs. After the cabaret we heard the jazz artists at the hardware cafe so went to explore. We had some calamari and then tried to go downstairs to see the performers but were denied entry as we didn’t have tickets. They sounded very good though. On our way back home we looked into Titirangi hall as more performers were playing and even though we didn’t have tickets we were allowed to listen to the last song. The festival was so good and it was really nice just walking up the road and listening to local artists.

Bilbo's house

Sam's house

under the party tree looking over to the lake, mill and pub

by Bilbo's house

Saturday 24th March. Up at 6am to catch the 6.40 bus to New Lynn followed by another bus to Britomart. I had booked a day tour to Hobbiton with Red Carpet Tours and was very excited. I was picked up by Vic who runs the tour company with his wife Raewyn. Vic and Raewyn are die hard LOTR fans and specialise in 12 day tours going everywhere in New Zealand where LOTR was filmed and even staying in the hotels the actors stayed in. There were only 3 of us on the tour as we picked up two girls on holiday from Peru and Australia too. Hobbiton is in Matamata which is just over a two hour drive away from Auckland. It was an interesting drive through some really remote rural countryside. As we were going up the lane to the Hobbiton farm Vic put on the Shire music which was hilarious. We arrived and looked around the shop and then went to the Shire’s rest cafe for tea and coffee. The actual film set is a kilometre away from the cafe and shop so we left Vic in the cafe and departed for the actual Hobbiton tour on a full bus. When we arrived on set we got off the bus and were able to walk around while the Hobbiton guide told us facts. It was so beautiful with white butterflies and flowers everywhere. It was a lot smaller than I imagined and the camera angles obviously make it look a lot bigger. There were about 45 hobbit holes. They had no rooms behind the doors except Sam’s and Bilbo’s hobbit holes which had small rooms behind them so the actors could go inside and close the doors. We saw the green dragon pub, the mill, the party tree where Bilbo gives his birthday speech, the party field where the hobbits celebrate Bilbo’s birthday, the lake, Bilbo and Sam’s house. Unfortunately we weren’t able to go right up to the pub and mill but we were able to take photos from across the lake. Vic later told us that they’re going to make the green dragon pub on the set into an actual pub. Our guide told us that Hobbiton was originally going to be dismantled but a storm prevented them from doing so and after the storm they decided not to bother. We were also told funny stories about people who came to Hobbiton dressed as elves, hobbits and wizards. One 7ft man apparently came dressed as a hobbit and refused to leave stating that it was his home. Going around the set took about an hour and a half but I wished we had longer. After the tour we got back on the bus and had lunch with Vic in the shire’s rest as part of the red carpet package. He told us that they had finished filming for the new Hobbit film in November and the cast were now down in the South Island. Vic was so knowledgeable and I’d love to come back to NZ and do their 12 day tour which looks amazing. I didn’t want to leave Hobbiton but I had a great day which I will remember for a long time.

Browns Bay beach

Auckland

Rangitoto island

Saturday 17th March. Met up with a connection of Jacqui’s; Dawn, Mike and Becky. Dawn is Jacqui’s friend’s daughter and moved to New Zealand from England when she was 21. They live up in Albany on the North Shore which I hadn’t visited. They took me to lunch at a nice pub in Browns Bay where they were serving green beers from Stoke in honour of St Patrick’s Day. We then walked along the beach where we had a great view of Rangitoto Island. When I said I hadn’t properly seen the wharf front in the centre of Auckland they decided to take me down to what’s known as the Viaduct where there are lots of nice restaurants along the water front. It was very busy as there was an around the world yacht race taking place and lots of Irish out celebrating. Apparently it was here that a lot of the rugby world cup games took place. We then went back to their gorgeous house. The area they live in looks more English than other areas I’ve been to as it was very rural like at home. After a nice chat and snoop around their house, Dawn dropped me back to Titirangi. I had a really nice day with Dawn and her family but it had left me craving cake so I went up into the village to get some only to find they didn’t sell it!

one of the stalls

cook island dancers

cook island dancers

Tuvalu stage

Saturday 10th March. Went with Toby to meet Tanya and Sylvie in Mount Eden after they had been to Sylvie’s cricket game, dropped off Mirabai and friends at the mall on the way. We had lunch at a place called Circus Circus where I had my favourite; waffles with bacon and banana. After this Toby took Sylvie on to another cricket game while Tanya and I went to the pasifika festival. The annual festival is at Western Springs park where there is a big lake and around the lake were ‘villages’ representing the pacific islands. At each island village there was a stage where there was dancing or singing, food and stalls. It was a great cultural experience for me to see places like Samoa, Tahiti and Fiji represented. Tanya and I sat and watched some dancing at the Cook Islands village and we were the only non-Pacificas! The stalls were all bright and colourful with women wearing bold flower hats and multi-colours. There was big jewellery on sale and I bought a shell necklace. We also bought flowers for our hair and really enjoyed the chilled island atmosphere. I really wanted to see what the Fiji village was like having really wanted to go to Fiji. When we got there some children were dancing in a competition and were really going for it which was great to watch. Everyone was eating water melons which huge servings of ice cream. Before leaving we bought some pasifika food for dinner which consisted of chop suey, taro (a type of vegetable), potato salad, rice and fish. Sadly when we all tried it later we found it either too dry or too buttery. Nevertheless we had a great day and it will be a highlight of my time in Auckland.

Friday 24th Feb. Organised a puppy play date for Snowy with Robyn and her five Yorkshire terriers. Sylvie and I went over to her house which has amazing views of the city and beach. The dogs were gorgeous and very excited to see us. Snowy was like a new kid at school being shy at first but he soon got very confident eating all their food! Robyn showed us how she has a little puppy ladder up to her bed which the dogs can go up. We then went to Titirangi beach with them all. Her car has no back seats but a massive sackish thing filled with a pillow for the dogs which they love. It was great going to the beach with them as there were dogs everywhere! Robyns female dog was coming on heat and Snowy took quite a liking to her, following her wherever she went. Unfortunately we had to get back for tea but it was so nice to meet them all and we had a great time.

Tuesday 21st Feb. Tanya dropped me at the Auckland museum on her way to work. Its in a really great location on a hill overlooking Auckland. There was a big section on Maori culture so I spent lots of time looking at that. There were unusual larger exhibits like a life size Maori temple and a war boat. There was even a video on Maori rugby, I hadn't realised the Maori's have their own NZ rugby team. After looking at the Maori section I looked around other parts of the museum looking at NZ birds, old fashions, volcanoes and stuffed animals. I then went to a Maori show which was the highlight of the day. They showed us Maori games, songs, fighting techniques, dancing. They showed us how the Maori's often move their wrists around when singing or dancing as to them it represents life. However the best part was the haka where even the woman joined in! They told us that movements like the bulging of the eyes and protrusion of the tongue signal strength and intimidation. I then went down to a kind of flower house just next to the museum which was really pretty. I ended up having some spare time before my bus came so got my favourite cookies and cream ice cream and read in the gardens.

Sunday 19th Feb. Went to Cornwallis beach which is one of the more popular beaches in the area that a lot of the Pacific community go to. Very nice beach with a  good view of the harbour. New Zealand beaches have more of a raw beauty than the golden sand beaches in Sydney. Read my book while Toby and Sylvie went to take Snowy in the water. Toby then did a bbq in the evening which was really nice on such a hot day.

Cornwallis beach

Monday 20th Feb. Had my first session with year 2 at Titirangi primary today. Usually we would have gone swimming but today they had a whole school assembly. It was different for me to see such a large primary school altogether with there being over 500 pupils. They all sang the New Zealand anthem which left me a bit stuck! Then they sang another song in Maori and introduced certain pupils to the school like library monitors, zebra crossing monitors and bush walk monitors. We then went back to class and the children did some finishing work followed by maths games. The children don't wear a uniform but in the usually hot weather this is understandable. I've also noticed most of them walk around with no shoes on, the other day when I was at the school they were running around the playground in the rain with no shoes on!

Sylvie's cricket

glass panels in floor

bungee jumper

bungee jumper

Saturday 18th Feb. Lovely sunny day today after a fair bit of rain. Went to Sylvie's cricket in Mount Eden which was really nice and very English. She did so well and it was fun to watch. Mirabai then went to a friend's house while the rest of us went to lunch in Mount Eden. I had waffles, maple syrup, grilled banana and bacon which was delicious. Sylvie and I then climbed the Auckland Sky Tower while Tanya and Toby watched from a safe distance given their fear of heights. I thought the Auckland tower looked a lot smaller than the Sydney tower but once we were up there it felt much higher and Sylvie found out it is higher than both the Sydney and Brisbane towers. It was a really clear day so we had a great view. There were glass panels in parts of the floor that you could look down but neither of us were brave enough to walk over them! The best part was watching the bungee jumpers. We'd come up in the lift with them and one of them said she had a fear of heights. I could never ever do that, they were literally dropped and then hung there bouncing around in front of us for our entertainment before being dropped onto the target on the ground. Got some great pictures and videos though. Then went to the souvenir shop where there were also LoTR, Tintin and Avatar statues. After we'd got back I went with Toby to New Lynn to get a scrapbook for my blogs and mementos.

14th Feb. Valentines day. Having already accidentally guessed my valentines day present of going to see Richard III in Stratford Upon Avon and Will guessing his present of tickets for the Harry Potter exhibition I was still able to open my little present Will had sent over. He had made a little book with pictures of us and it was so lovely. In the evening Tanya, the girls, Snowy and I went to the Hardware Cafe in Titirangi for a valentines meal. We had a really nice time and there was the sweetest dumb couple out for a valentines meal together who spent the whole evening talking to each other in sign language. The food was really good and the desert was spectacular. I'd ordered a feta and bacon stuffed chicken breast which was nice but as I say desert topped it. Tanya and I shared our deserts so we each got half a slice of each others chocolate mousse cake and passionfruit mousse cake. The deserts also came with vanilla ice cream and fruit.

Baradene college

Friday 17th Feb. Went into school with Tanya today. She teaches at Baradene School which is a Catholic girls school. She had three classes, 2 year 11 classes and one year 10. The year 11s were learning about Juno as part of their film assessment for English. The first class were going over a work sheet making sure they had all the answers. The second class watched parts of the film and made notes on it. They looked at filming techniques like tracking and panning and also the meanings of certain props. The year 10 class were learning about Shakespeare and so were my favourite class. They went through a powerpoint about the Globe theatre and then went to rehearse their Macbeth 'toil and trouble' witches speeches. We went outside to do the drama and I went over to some of the groups and listened to them and asked them questions like how they thought it could be presented on stage. On the way back to class two girls came over to me and asked if I know One Direction! Tanya and I then went for lunch in a place called Parnell. Lunch was sooo nice although I ate too much. We then went to pick up Sylvie from school and on our way back to Titirangi popped into the Paua and Greenstone factory in New Lynn that I had been wanting to go to. Tanya treated me to a gorgeous Paua watch while I bought some earings and a Maori face statue of a kind of spirity looking thing.

15th and 16th Feb. First two days of working with year 5. In Mrs Withers class who is really nice and very experienced. There are about 30 children in the class. On Wednesday they were finishing off their projects so I was introduced to them and then went around asking them questions about what they were doing and just getting to know them. It is compulsory for children to learn Maori in primary school. They all write the date in Maori and when Mrs Withers wants their attention she says something in Maori. On Thursday the children were learning about brainstorming effectively. They were writing about something they did in the holidays and then using their brainstorm to write a paragraph on it. They also went through Maori sounds like words beginning with Ke, Ko, Ki. They then went out for buddy time. The buddy system is excellent as every child has a buddy no matter what year they're in as opposed to just year 6 and reception. Each child gets a new buddy each year so the children end up with friendships in every year and it really encourages a sense of community. The year 5s had buddies in year 3 and they went and played with them just before the end of the day. The past two days have been great experience and I've been recording useful tips I've picked up in class.

Titirangi primary school

Monday 13th Feb. Went into Titirangi Primary school to meet the head teacher Gary Pearce and arrange when I could help out in classes to gain some experience for becoming a primary school teacher. Titirangi primary has 450 students with about three classes per year. It has a sea view, an outdoor swimming pool and even a worm farm! A year two class had asked for my help on a Monday afternoon where they have swimming in the first period which should be fun. I then asked for two afternoons with an older class as I had already had experience with year 1 and 2 at Hartpury primary. A year 5 class had responded to my email so I have arranged to work with them on Wednesday and Thursdays. I think I'll enjoy working at the primary school and am looking forward to starting on Wednesday.

Manukau harbour entrance

Huia

King Kong hills

Banana tree branch

up the plum tree

view of harbour from the house

extra getting her make up done

extras rehearsing their dance

Saturday 11th Feb. Have just been having a chill week, reading lots, walking the dog, exploring Mirabai's Miss Marples and even went on a run! Today I went to look at Tanya and Toby's property in Huia, with Sylvie and Tanya, which they're just about to sell. Huia is sooooo bushy almost like a rain forest being right in the middle of the Waitakere Ranges. We went to a look out point before going to the house. The hills looked like something out of King Kong, more like mountains. Very pretty though and we looked out on the entrance to the Manukau harbour and over Huia. We then went to the property which had lots of land although its all rain forest and a little waterfall. There were banana, lemon, ugly fruit and plum trees. Sylvie and I climbed the plum tree and eventually gathered a respectable number of plums. Tanya then pulled down a massive banana tree branch with bananas on after some effort. Meanwhile Snowy feasted on a dead bird he found on the drive! We went to the Huia store for some ice cream and fish and chips, the fish and chips was especially good. We then took Snowy on to the beach for a little stroll. Later we went to see Toby on set. He is currently filming in Auckland for a film called The Emperor starring Matthew Fox and Tommy Lee Jones. I was very excited and we arrived at King's College which is a private boys school where they were going to be filming a dance scene. I couldn't wipe the grin off my face. We took the shuttle bus up to the main filming area and went over to see Toby who was planning for the next scene. Tanya introduced me to the director but forgot his name! We then went with Toby into the dinning hall. We had already had dinner but couldn't resist some of the offerings. Everyone was sat at long tables and as they were filming a dance scene there were lots of men and woman in 1940s dress. The costumes were gorgeous and it was so cool looking behind the scenes. We then went outside into a courtyard where Toby and the others had gone off to plan a scene. Toby was really busy but he looked after us so well and assigned an assistant to look after us. He also moved us closer to where they were filming so we could get a better look. We watched Matthew Fox and the lead female actor Enico rehearse their scene. Toby then introduced us to Enico who was very sweet. After they'd finished rehearsing we went into an old hall to watch some of the extras rehearsing their dance. It was really fun to watch them and we sneakily took some photos even though you're not allowed. We left before they started to actually film the scene as it was 11.30 and we were really tired. It was a great experience though and I feel very privileged to have been able to go on set.

Maori reverend

the welcome line

Toby going along the welcome line

the church

the wall of remembrance

Monday 6th Feb. Went to a Maori welcome ceremony on the Island. We had missed the main dancing and other festivities but were in time for the welcome line. This is where you go along a line of Maori people and they welcome you by saying Kia Ora and either kissing you or rubbing your nose. This was quite a strange experience but was actually really lovely. A lot of the Maori people weren't what I stereotypically expected them to look like, many being white. After we had gone along the welcome line we went into their church which was brightly decorated and not like our traditional christian churches. Before going into the church we had to take our shoes off. At the far end of the church there was a wall of remembrance with pictures of family members who had passed away.  There were comfy looking seats along the edge of the church and a copy of the treaty of  Waitangi  was displayed. After we had looked around the church we headed back home and packed up ready to get the ferry back into Auckland. I was sad to leave Waiheke and had a great time there, I hope that one day I'll go back.