If you’ve been following the news, you probably know that Auckland had historic floods last week. The rain today was nothing like last week, but we were still pretty wet by the time we got back to the hotel.

Early on our walk we spotted Aukland’s Sky Tower piercing the low clouds, so I couldn’t resist taking a picture. I do that a lot.

And then the rain started, and more of the tower was obscured.

And then … you can see where this is going, can’t you … it started raining harder…

By the time we made it to The Buoy Cafe and Eatery (the location for Rubens in My Life is Murder) we were soaked, but laughing in spite of it all. We were painfully aware that it’s minus 30 degrees at home, so a little rain didn’t seen like a big deal. And because the weather kept many tourists away, we got a window table for lunch without any wait.

I mentioned the floods in Auckland. It was bad enough that the airport was closed for a day, and we had the option of rebooking our flights with no penalty. But we figured (correctly, as it turns out) that things would be close enough to normal by the time we arrived. It is very clear that things were bad last week – everyone tells you that “it isn’t usually this wet…” – but in most of the city, things are pretty much normal by now. Certainly it would have been a mistake to cancel our trip. The only direct evidence we’ve seen of the flood is a few water-logged low spots in the parks. These pictures were taken in Victoria Park.

It’s mid-summer here (did I mention that it is minus 30 at home?) and the flowers are beautiful – even in the rain. Perhaps, especially in the rain.

This flowering shrub was stunning, but unfortunately I have no idea what it is. If anyone knows, please pass the name along. Not that it would grow at home, but still…

After we changed into dry clothes, and the rain stopped, we took another walk to Albert park. (You’d almost think that Auckland was part of a British colony from Victorian times…) The ancient trees were stunning. I think these trees are some variety of Cork Oak, but I’m not sure. If anyone knows for sure, please let me know.

I started the post by suggesting the day was a bit of a washout. Nothing could be farther from the truth. We had a great time and laughed a lot, even if I was soaked (quite literally) to the skin. But I’m still looking forward to tomorrow when it’s supposed to be sunny.