Motukaraka Island, about two miles northeast of us, is just disappearing behind a thick wall of rain. The masts of Pine Harbour stand out against the approaching black-grey wall in the last rays of sunlight until seconds later they too are swallowed up by the rain front.
Cyclone Vaianu has reached the
Hauraki Gulf and, with it,
Auckland.
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| Hauraki Gulf, Auckland, New Zealand |
For days, the government and weather services have been issuing warnings not to go out in boats, to avoid driving, and under no circumstances to drive on flooded roads.
Northern New Zealand in particular has already been hit once this year by a rain front that caused landslides and flooding. Now another severe weather event is on the horizon. The hope that Vaianu would change course once again and veer away from New Zealand has not been fulfilled. The eye is moving directly across the North Island. Fortunately, Vaianu was unable to strengthen significantly off Fiji, and on its way to New Zealand, it lacked the necessary fuel, making it a relatively weak cyclone. Nevertheless, wind speeds are reaching up to 56 knots. What is less of a problem on the ocean but poses a major issue on land is the rain. With up to 30 mm/h, flooded streets are once again inevitable. But we’re lucky. The damage is limited, and after 24 hours, the ordeal is over. There was some flooding, but the water drained away quickly. There were also a few fallen trees, but no one was hurt. Autumn in New Zealand is cool and wet this year. Officially, it begins in March and ends in May. From mid-April on, it gets significantly cooler. By now, morning temperatures have dropped to 15°C. Rain fronts keep rolling in, and you can’t get by without socks anymore—at least not if you’ve spent any length of time on the milk run. The New Zealander probably sees things differently. Whether you look out on the street or in the supermarket, you keep seeing people walking around barefoot. While I’m already wearing more or less winter clothes, the young New Zealander is still walking around in a crop top and cycling shorts. Seeing this makes me shiver, even with thick clothes on. We take advantage of the rain-free time and hike through the many parks to at least stay somewhat fit.
We keep a close eye on the weather forecast so we can find shelter before the next rain front hits. We wait out the next downpour in a small tea house. Here, we receive a WhatsApp message telling us that Gin, the dog on our farm, has had nine puppies. This came as a bit of a surprise to us, because she didn’t show any signs of it at all. On the contrary, she had been herding the sheep all by herself, jumping over pasture fences over 1.5 meters high, and hadn’t shown the slightest sign of it. Anyway, Gin and the little ones are doing well, and we’re delighted by this miracle of nature.
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| Gin with puppies |
We take the opportunity to visit the German butcher shop Blackforest in Albany, north of Auckland. A Swabian butcher from Bad Cannstatt opened it in 1999 and ran it until 2019. Now it’s being run by the second generation, and you can get German sausages here. Even though the “LKW” (Leberkäsweck) isn’t called “LKW” in New Zealand, I recognized it as such and, of course, ordered it. The roll with warm meatloaf comes in two varieties: one is NZ-style, and the other is German-style. The German-style version is the one with a thumb-thick slice of Leberkäs between the bun halves. I have no idea what the NZ-style looks like. But I assume the slice is thinner, because the German version costs an extra $2.
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| LKW (in the left hand) Albany, New Zealand |
Anyway, we stocked up on plenty of sausage, and I’m already looking forward to our next Weißwurst breakfast with a cold Hefeweizen. All in all, it was a very expensive trip, considering current gas prices. After all, it was a 45-kilometer drive across town. But we combined it with another errand and stopped by Fridgetech Marine. The thermostat on our fridge has given out and needs to be replaced. We found what we were looking for at Fridgetech and were able to take it home right away. Now we just need to install the thermostat. I’ll keep you posted on that. Until then, may there always be fair winds, and keep a stiff upper lip.
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