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| Yes, Maui wished me a safe journey home. He did. Really. |
We are down to one day left so what could we do but go yarn shopping. Ila had visited this cool shop the previous day and she bought something I decided was a MUST HAVE.
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| Undyed, natural possum/merino wool |
The MUST HAVE was 8-ply Possum/Merino wool yarn, which happens to be the same yarn that made up the cool fingerless gloves I purchased some days ago. I was sorry I only bought the one pair, but now I have yarn of the same color, a pleasant tan.
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Fantail embroidery
click here to see better |
They had other cute stuff that I would not allow myself to purchase. Case in point: the Fantail embroidery. If I want one, I will damn well need to embroider one for myself.
Shopping complete, the next stop was a drive to visit the Auckland War Memorial Museum. I thought at first it would be for war time exhibits but I was wrong. The museum has exhibits that run the gamut from natural history, history of New Zealand's original indigenous people and more.
The sky looks striking. The two photos were taken at the front of the museum.
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| Magnificent stained glass skylight over the main lobby |
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| Hand warmer muff made with Kiwi feathers |
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| Extinct Moa |
Feathers were heavily used
The bust on the left is Richard Owen, an 1880s surgeon who proved the giant bones found were not of mammals, bu the bones of the giant bird, the Moa. The Moas were hunted into extinction by the arrival of Māori, because the birds were easy prey and pretty damned tasty.
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| A look down to the main lobby from the 1st floor galleries |
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| Three of New Zealand's Kiwi species... will return in hopes of seeing one in the wild |
It was a couple of years ago I promised Ila I would visit New Zealand with her - you know - do a friend a favor. Now I feel I was the one who received a favor. Unexpectedly, I have fallen in love with New Zealand and I want to visit it again some year so I can see wild kiwis of the feathered sort, Blue Fairy Penguins and maybe even glowworms in the caverns of North Island. Wish me luck with that dream!
