It’s my third or fourth Sunday (in a span of ten years) in Auckland, and I have struggled to find what to do.
The initial plan was to do a food tour, but the tour company cancelled at the very last minute (not cool! I didn’t have enough time to find another tour for the same day).
Alas, with the whole day in front of me, I decided to do other things I typically do whenever I visit a new place: farmers’ markets, Indonesian restaurants and bookstores. And I did all three on my free Sunday in Auckland.
I started with Grey Lynn Farmers Market, which turned out to be more lively than the Parnell Farmers Market I visited late last year. Though I prefer the food option at Parnell.
After the market, I did more neighbourhood exploring and took down The Gypsy Tea Room address for a next-time excursion. It was then I saw the Dear Read bookstore and went inside.
I told myself I shouldn’t buy anything as I had just gotten a new book the day before at the airport.
Seventeen minutes later, I stepped out with a hardback of Albert Cho’s hardcover I Love My Stupid Life stuffed in my backpack.
Lunch was Nasi Bali at an Indonesian restaurant, Bali Night’s ━ in the name of research.
The next stop was Countdown, a groceries store chain in New Zealand. Here, I returned almost everything I picked up because of the price tag.
I came out with a brown bag filled with a bottle of chilled Rose from Hawke’s Bay (because Liz taught me the importance of regional drinking), some new drinks to survive the evening slump when I have to do overtime to finish off my Australia work tasks and snacks for eating while laying down on the hotel’s white bedding because it seems so luxurious. I also got New Zealand snacks for Fafa and colleagues because I am nice. The whole thing things cost me 86NZD.
How Auckland, how????
86$ would at least warrant two full grocery bags back in Woolworths (a groceries store chain in Australia).
Alas, there was a silver lining to this uber expensive groceries haul: the shop attendant asked to see my ID when I scanned my wine bottle.
I went back to the hotel, rested and read for a bit.
Initially, I planned to Uber Eats food or skip dinner and binge on the one week’s worth of snacks I got from the grocery store, but then again, I am in Auckland.
I willed myself to check out what was close. So I squeezed myself into my leggings and running shoes for the second time today and walked to the city centre.
I have wanted to try Sumthin Dumplin ever since I took a picture of the store’s neon sign during my last visit here, so I made my way there only to realize that they didn’t have any seating area. And I didn’t feel like sitting on the street with a cardboard of dumplings, so I walked to the dumpling place near it called Eden Noodles and had a light dumpling dinner there.
Then I continued roaming around the area for a while and got hungry again.
So I got a box of Sumthin Dumplin’s dumplings and Taro bubble tea from Gong Cha right beside it and brought it back to the hotel.
The rest of the night, in my hotel room in Auckland, I ate the dumplings, drank bubble tea, read a book, and watched John Wick 3.
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