Our first couple of days in New Zealand were cloudy and rainy. Not cyclone level rain, but enough to soak us to the skin and to cloak the Sky Tower in mist. By the time we made it back to Auckland for our final day, the cyclone was long gone and we were treated to clear skies.

We spent the day wandering around the Auckland harbour front and enjoying the warm summer weather (and trying not to think about what was waiting for us at home). I’ve posted a number of pictures highlighting the public art in New Zealand, but today I want to show how it seems to pervade the national consciousness in things large and small. First up, a building decorated in Greco-Roman vases. I have no idea what the point is, but it is really fun to see.

And then, nearby, a building under construction had fencing up to screen the construction site. But instead of plywood plastered with fliers, it had this…

… and then, in a small park, a nod to the earthquakes that are a regular feature of life in New Zealand.

At the entrance to this park, this mosaic in the sidewalk.

Our last full day in New Zealand was my birthday, and we managed to get a table at a fabulous restaurant, on the balcony, overlooking the harbour. They weren’t sure they could give us a table on the balcony, so we mentioned that it was my birthday, so in addition to getting the table we wanted, I got this…

Lovely restaurant. I highly recommend it.

And then, after 24 hours of flying, we were back to this.

The title of this post is our last day in New Zealand. It may have been the last day on this trip, but it will not be our last day there. We will be back.