The Kindness of Connections. . . .

Mt. Eden caldera overlooking Auckland

Those of you who know me well know that I'm a bit of a pessimist about my own species. Dogs: That's another thing entirely, but humans? They are so often disappointing. I realize that being a middle class white kid in the US was an amazing stroke of good fortune, but still. I witness enough to become pretty disheartened, try as I may to stand up to those self-satisfied negative forces.

On the way up Mt. Eden

So imagine my pleasant surprise and ensuing humility when I've been treated so extraordinarily well by folks who barely know me. Or don't know me at all. John's colleague, who had us over for a wonderful family dinner, had suggested we hike up Mt. Eden, which is not far from where we live in Auckland. Her schedule ultimately didn't allow her to join us, but we decided to take her advice, nonetheless. On John's last day of work at the U, he took the afternoon off and we took the bus to Mt. Eden, to hike up the mountain that neighborhood is named for. I could have taken a hundred pictures on the way up, but I'll only bore you with 2. Even now, in my dotage, I can't resist and older home. And the views were spectacular.

On the way: I can never resist an old house

View from Mt. Eden. . . Auckland, West the Tasman sea

View from Mt. Eden. . .Auckland,East the Pacific Ocean

Mt. Eden is an extinct volcano, so it has a very obvious caldera, which is lushly overgrown with vegetation. A really cool thing about it, though is that you can see where the two oceans come ALMOST together. And of course, after the hike down, we found a great pub and had a meal. Hike. Eat. Drink. Repeat.