Art, Wynyard Quarter and Takapuna Beach Cafe

Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.
~ Thomas Merton

Saturday – amidst drizzle and umbrellas, the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki was opened with a speech by Len Brown, music by the Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra and a warming kapa haka display… :-) Thereafter, the crowd whooshed through the doors (me included).

Read more here, here and here.

This is a quick snapshot of a few people tuning in to the ceremonial display – (I thought they were arranged rather artistically too).

Nice displays in every room, ranging from moving displays to crazy Picasso to majestic gold-framed portraits – enjoyed.

Loved this chandelier of flowers spilling from the ceiling! The promise of Spring.

The view from a window.

I couldn’t help but feel that this gallery was a little condensed, having visited various museums and galleries in Europe (some of those places could take months to explore in full) – however, I do recognise that much effort has been poured into this gallery, and they have made it a beautiful place which will inspire all who come through its doors. Great use of space too.

Art milk!

Here’re a few more photos from my second saunter down to Wynyard Quarter (there’re a few more photos in this recent post).

The weather was highly temperamental – churros weather one moment and swimsuit weather the next! My umbrella got heavily injured in the process too (rather extreme for Auckland, I thought).

Weather aside though, it was jolly fine wandering around – and we were far from lonely; so many people were out! The ladies were at the Fashion Week sale, I think – we opted for the benches, people watching, photo taking, sunbathing (whenever the sun actually came out, that is).

Adored this whimsical piano that was near to all the fancy new restaurants/bars – oh I was almost tempted to jump on and play! Too timid, in the end. I admire the courage of children :-)

And here are some oil tanks, looking very cute.

Later in the afternoon, Cam, Matt and I trooped down to Takapuna Beach Cafe for a late lunch.

I am sorry to report that the only thing I enjoyed about this place was the view (spectacular).

The food looked mighty fine (as you will note from the photos below) – but both the service and the taste of the food were highly unremarkable. The menu had looked wonderful, so I was really disappointed. My twice-baked souffle (last pic in this post) was not fun to eat, and the parmesan waaaay overpowered the leaves in the salad. An abundance of saltiness and regretting the bill at the end are my overall impressions of my meal now. Oh, and who can forget the facial expressions of the waiting staff? Bored and sulky? I can do without that on my Saturday afternoon, thank you very much.

I think that when food is cooked and served with love (this means that ingredients are sourced with care, food is cooked with skill, precision and spontaneity, dishes are plated and served by generous and genuine people), it makes a world of difference – that is when food goes from edible bits that slip down your throat and into your belly to something magical that nourishes your body, mind and soul.

Conversely, it doesn’t matter how good a dish looks on a plate if the foundation of good food/hospitality isn’t present – it will taste empty, and the diners will be left out in the cold at the end.

And when is that ever a good thing?

Luckily, there are places like Ima and Meredith’s which serve up the good oil in Auckland.

And that’s all from me tonight. I have a few videos and things I want to get through before I reunite with my pillow for the evening! Have a great Wednesday, all.

Takapuna Beach Cafe – 22 The Promenade, Takapuna, Auckland – Phone: 09 484 0002