Awake in Auckland (with apologies to Sleepless In Seattle...)

What a week to leave my camera at home!
I took a walk up to SkyCity the other day to meet some peeps from twitter. It was great to meet people I’ve been tweeting with on and off since we moved here.
So there we were enjoying a fairly uninspired coffee, when the fire alarm went off. Everyone ignored it for a while, as you do, but the alarm continued followed by a disembodied voice announcing something indecipherable.
The unconcerned wait staff continued to serve meals and drinks, as the convenience store closed and the entire kitchen staff assembled outside - chef hats and all.
Five fire engines arrived, followed by burly firemen carrying hoses and other gear (give me a minute here ...sigh!)
Finally, we called a waitress over and asked if we were being evacuated.
“No not yet,” she said, before handing us the bill and suggesting we might like to pay it now, just in case we did have to make a run for it.
Er, yes, there might be a fire or bomb in the building; your kitchen staff have been told to leave; but yes, let's just make sure the punters pay for their coffees before they all DIE or something. Service FAIL!
Stupidly, I didn't have my camera, so I missed capturing the whole debacle for your pleasure.
We paid up anyway (humph), and left, and then @wendywings introduced me to another reason to visit Auckland, Giapo.
Giapo is the founder of Giapo Gelati, the yummiest icy treat in Auckland. He’s also a keen twitterer and uses social media in his marketing. You can even twitter in his shop, and of course, wi fi is de rigueur.
Anyway, the occasion was World Chocolate Day with every flavour of gelato involving chocolate of some kind. There was white chocolate and raspberry, strawberry chocolate, orange chocolate, black forest and more.
For $10 one could enjoy as many cups as one’s stomach could handle.I tried the giapo rocher and moccacino before giving up in a nod to my waistline. Mmmm, it was delicious though.
Finally, the kids and I arrived home from school this afternoon, to find a commercial being shot right outside our townhouse. In fact, the model was posing on the window sill outside our home office!
The kids hung around upstairs peering over the balcony with interest and watching the scene unfold, and occasionally calling out to the crew below. The crew were lovely and I even managed to get a quick snap before they left:

In other news, Husband has been away for work again.

I've managed to cope quite well, despite having two little bodies in bed with me most nights. Sadly, C. takes after his Mum, and is a very noisy sleeper, talking, moaning, sighing and generally throwing himself around the bed half the night. The second child spends the night at the bottom of the bed, cuddling ... my foot! (I know...)

For his part, Husband hasn't been sleeping well either, having to cope with a four-hour time difference as well as steamy weather and long hours. Then there was a red-eye flight, crammed into an economy Qantas seat next to a snoring guy who was twice the size of him.

I can't wait until he gets home - Husband, not the snoring guy - and things return to normal. And then maybe, we'll all get some sleep!

An Easter in Auckland

Our first Easter in Auckland was certainly different to those we’ve experienced back home.
For a start, there were no lunches, dinners or catch-ups with family (well apart from our own little family). But there were loads of phone calls and emails, which helped to make up for that.
We decided not to book a break out of town, mainly because we’d been warned that everyone in Auckland would have the same idea, and the traffic would be horrendous. (After being trapped in a traffic jam last Thursday, as thousands of Aucklanders tried to leave the city, I was pleased we’d taken our friends’ advice!)
Instead, we booked a stay at SKYCITY, the Skytower hotel. Our kids are obsessed with the Skytower, so we knew they would love it. We got a great deal, and the bonus was that it was just up the road. So we got a holiday without the trauma of a long drive with antsy kids. They didn’t even get the chance to ask: Are we there yet?
The quick and easy trip meant more time for swimming, movies, and eating and drinking far too much. Also, the novelty of staying in a hotel again, complete with the attractions of room service and Sky television, was certainly a hit!
We were a bit mean and didn’t tell the kids our plans. Instead, we packed a bag in secret, and then told them to grab their teddies because we were going for a long drive. (They hate long drives!)
Imagine their surprise when we turned into the Skytower, just up the road, and stopped the car. They hadn’t even twigged there was a hotel there! H. almost wet herself with excitement when she found out we were staying there!
To be honest, the hotel itself wasn’t posh (there’s another called SKYCITY Grand, which is meant to be more luxurious), but we enjoyed a break from routine, and staying somewhere different took our minds off being away from home.
A bonus was being able to watch people leap off the tower as we relaxed by the outdoor heated pool – okay that’s a lie, the kids relaxed and made instant friends, while I shivered on the deck watching them. They also loved watching orange-clad people walk along the glass edge of the Skytower above us, like so many spiders.
Back home, there has been computer time, DVD time, and a whole lot of cooking. Not to mention chocolate consumption for the kids.
Easter Tuesday meant back to work, which is always tricky when you have kids home on school holidays. I’m lucky that I have a few days organised for them with vacation care, which is where they are today.
The holiday programs are great over here. The kids get to do fun things like ride the ferry, climb mountains, explore caves, visit attractions like underwater world and the zoo, go ice-skating, disco bowling and more.
They love it, and it gives me a chance to get my work done without constant cries of:

“I’m bored”
“Can I play on your computer?”
“Muuuum, C. hurt me/changed the channel/is being mean to me!” (And vice versa).
“It’s not fair you get to play on your computer!” (Yes, that’s what I’m doing. Playing.)
“I’m hungry/thirsty.”
“Can we go to the park/pool/movies?”
“When are you going to be finished?"

Praying for a fluffie and a muffin ...oh look, it worked!

Footy fans!

The buffet breakfast - all you could eat, and C. didn't stop until he was stuffed!

Street art and a safety message. It's to warn pedestrians not to step out into traffic without looking. Believe it or not they do it all the time! In Auckland, 70 per cent of pedestrian accidents are due to this.

Hanging out at the hotel

C. loved watching Sky television from the comfort of his bed

So did H.

My water baby!