Comfort zones

I got on a bus this morning and made my way into downtown Auckland.  It's been far too long since I last spent time there.  I used to explore much more than I've done lately but I guess, with age, I've slowed down a bit.    

I didn't try to find new places today.  Instead, I decided to revisit some of my favorite areas and just stroll around. That urge felt a little like wanting comfort food.  The pictures I'll show you today are like Jeanne's fried chicken and mashed potatoes, or her side pork and stew fries to me, but these are comfort places, not food, that I enjoyed today. 

I used my phone for these shots, so they're not as good as they might have been, had I used my big camera, but they'll have to do.  

I took bus 13 from the stop by the Court House to the Motorway Interchange and then hopped on WX1 with a whole bunch of student-types as it came by.  Since it was just after 9 a.m., the Motorway was still fairly busy and we had a couple of slow-downs near the on- and off-ramps that we passed.  

I got off the bus at the 2nd-to-last stop on Queen Street, crossed it, and headed for the  Metropolis Apartment Building.  There it stands in the distance.

This is the front view.

Next to the Metropolis is the first home in Auckland of Krispy Kream Doughnuts.

Then, I moved down hill slightly and passed by this view. I love this juxtaposition of narrow street and skyscrapers. 

Here's a place I've always liked.  This is where I bought my first two P. G. Wodehouse first-editions.  The bookstore is actually up on the fifth floor if I remember correctly.  I can't check it out today because I'm too early. This is not a bookstore that keeps regular hours.  When Jeanne and I visited it the first time, a sign on the door gave us the owner's phone number. She arrived a few minutes later and opened her store just for us.  I think she lives just above it.  

Here's another narrow little street. The breakfast crowd is just starting. It's rather chilly this morning, I'd guess about 45 F. right now.  I think I'd prefer to eat inside, if I were in the mood to eat.  

When I got the idea this morning to come into the city and retrace my steps through favorite places, I thought of this next place.  I showed it to you years ago, but with the passage of time, I had forgotten exactly where it was.  But I found it again!  Turns out it is on Vulcan Lane, between High Street and Queen Street.   

The thing that tickles me about this building is that as you step through the front door, you have to climb a long flight of stairs to get to...get this....an elevator.  I've never heard of such a thing, and yet, here it is.  Sorry the photography is not very good. The zooms will help a bit. 

An oxymoron is a figure of speech in which contradictory terms appear in conjunction; they are used together. This arrangement seems like a physical oxymoron. Stairs and elevators are conflicting. 

If there's anyone out there who knows how to describe this in terms of language, other than an oxymoron, I'd love to hear it from you in a comment.    

Finally, here is a little lane off Queen Street that boasts a circular staircase at the end of it that takes you up to Mills Lane. 

Let's have a zoom here too.

Now, it's time to go home.  Let's get on WX1 again.

We're getting close to the Te Atatu off-ramp and the Motorway Interchange. 

After a short wait, here comes bus 13 for the trip to Henderson. 

From the Court House bus stop, it's about a seven minute walk to our village and apartment.  I've got to do this more often.   -djf

The new "Palms"

Today I'm going to start my post with a 'before' and 'after' shot of the Palms building, which lies perpendicular to our own Atrium, just one apartment away from our own.  As you can see, it has been given a facelift, and more.  Each apartment has been completely rebuilt. The residents, who have been living in other apartments around the village while theirs have been renovated, will start moving back in a couple of months.  There is lots of interior work to be done yet. 

This picture was taken in February of 2024

 

The plastic wrap and scaffolding came down yesterday and I took this shot on the fifth of July, 2025.

By the way, in case anyone wonders, the crane you see above the building, has nothing to do with our renovation. There is a building of apartments, not associated with our village, under construction on Great North Road.

Here are a few more pictures from around our village, also taken today. 

This is a view in our gardens

A pair of ducks have settled in for a snooze on the croquet green. That's Rosecourt in the distance. 

Let's have some more sunrises to finish this post. These were all taken early in March, 2025.  

What an interesting world we live in/on.  The corn in your gardens (hopefully) is knee-high, while we're in the middle of winter, but our oranges and lemons are ripening.  I intend to take a few oranges each time they are put out in the Atrium. (Mondays and Thursdays)  We may not have a lot of sun lately, except in pictures, but I can at least stock up on vitamin C.                  -djf