This day was overcast and on the chilly side. It started out a bit rough as we saw on the internet that Auckland had gotten its rainiest day ever and there was flooding. The terminals of the airport were flooded and, more impactful to us, our storage unit may have been flooded. Last month we decided to leave our big bags behind in Auckland. That would make it easier on this leg of the trip where we are staying at more places but for fewer days each time. We received an email from the storage company that our unit may have been flooded. We don't know the magnitude of the problem but it is weighing on our minds. The weather stayed cloudy as we walked to the Art Museum. The art on display seemed to reflect a common theme of the museums in the North Island. Mostly it is an awakening to the fact that what has traditionally been considered "art" has been through the eye of a mostly white heterosexual male perspective. That, unfortunately, left out much of the population: indigenous, women and LGBT folk. The top floor was paintings and photography while the bottom floor held some large scale sculptural works. The gift shop is worthy of a mention as it was as carefully curated as the art displays. Items were grouped by color and texture. We headed over to the Riverside Market next for a snack. We had so much to choose from but settled on Nepalese Dumplings. Steamed fresh and eaten out on the balcony. The market reminded us of the market in Lyon France, although not as nice. There were many places selling food and I got some reaper venison sausages and Leslie got a chocolate Afghan, a cookie meets fudge concoction. On our way home we sat and watched a couple of cricket games until they both inexplicitly ended. Much remains a mystery in this game.
Some of the older buildings are still intact after the big earthquake of 2011
Fiddlesticks indeed!
This is a beautiful exterior of the art museum
The light streams into the building
There are places to look out through from the interior
A fine glass curtain construction
Out front there is a decorated utility shed
The interior is very open and the same architectural style is retained
A series of straps stretched from the ceiling
To the wall behind the info counter
A sculpture on the ceiling over the stairs
It is made up of Formica furniture and florescent lights
A classic still life
Not so classic still life
Gin and Tonic is tearing this family apart, it's the Tanqueray
This artist used mud from the land where she painted it to connect the painting to the land
In the abstract area
Forbidden Fruit, a commentary on a rugby scrum
A flag made from white underwear thumbing his nose at some white clad neo-nazis
That is a banana in my pants
These are the size of the beers traditionally consumed after a rugby game. The insults that would fly after the drink gets going are written on the jugs
Nice swirls
Heitiki figurines
Hard to see with the black background
From a video where the artist first stood on her high heels and then stood with the same posture without the heels. It was a commentary on the difficulties of conforming to society's fashion expectations
Lips!
That is the truth
Deep thoughts
A Rodin sculpture
Family portrait
Sedimentary art
The elevator was all glittery
This reminded me of a very thin ship
It was tall and long but skinny
A carpet made from the insignia of various British Army Units that came to New Zealand to fight
It is a long list of British Army Units
The gallery was very dark and this piece of art is black so that is why it is hard to see. It is a traditional Māori Meeting house on wheels. A mix of traditional ties to the land with the mobility needed by the new social structure.
A British Gun Turret decorated like a Victorian Wedding Cake
Cool cards in the gift shop
A bottle of Exhumer???
The wall of the gift shop
More wit in note card form
A huge bronze
There it is, no bull!
The gate to the Riverside Market
Lanterns still up from the Luner New Year
The Market had stand alone structures within a larger building
Lots of folks were milling about
Cluck cluck!
No milk in my mustache
Mo-Mo dumplings please
Out balcony table
And the Nepalese Dumplings
Looking down at all the shops
Peeking into a Tapas / Sushi place
The big dragon is just hanging out
It seems the Kaiser is finally off the hook for WW1
Lots of fish
Heading out
But first a set of dandY birds
All dressed up
With their Sunday best
hats and coats
Very nice
Cricket is afoot
We watched them go 7 for three with two overs
Ans then it was actually over
A sticky wicket is blue right behind the batter
Acorns
