one hundred and fifty eight photos later

After over a week of planning which photographs I wanted to mount, and figuring out where each would go, it's finished.

Consisting of 10 boards with 15 photos each and a trim of off cuts at the bottom, the Photo Wall was made to cover a bare spot in our hallway where a door used to be before renovating our bathroom.

Each board has a selection of photos from some of my travels in date order: Tokyo & Singapore (2006); Los Angeles (2007); San Franciso & Los Angeles (2007); Shanghai (2008); Rome, Venice & Milan (2008); Paris & London (2008); New York (2008); Tokyo (2008); and Sydney (2009).

day trip to ashburton

new brighton pier

fantastic weather for a wedding

easter in christchurch

day in town

I was in town today looking for a shirt and pants to wear to an upcoming wedding. It's hard to find slim fit clothing from even the best of places. I had an idea of where I wanted to look: World, Fabric, Zambesi, and Superette.

First stop is World, where I picked up a pair of black pants and a turtle neck. I had wanted the turtle neck for when I went to Europe as it would have been perfect for their warm summer nights, but couldn't part with the $219. But at $50 it was a steal. I would have bought more in the other colours if they had my size, but getting just one was good enough for me. It's tencel and silk so really light and soft and layers well.

I also found a pair of black pants which fit perfectly. They could be worn to a wedding but because it has spandex in it, I thought it may be a bit too comfortable for a wedding. I bought them anyway to wear around the house as home pants during winter. They have pink stitched detail on the back pockets, and incidently I have the matching jacket at home. Another $50 special, down from $329, I'd be stupid not to buy them.

On to the other stores and they had nothing that appealed to me. So the mission to find a shirt and pants failed, but I got a turtle neck and a pair of home pants and saved $448 in the process so the trip wasn't a complete waste of time.

my favourite cupcakes

I had a craving for cupcakes today, so instead of making a whole batch, I decided I would buy 3. I ate the orange and passionfruit one on the way home; I just couldn't help myself. It's a shame because that one looked the best!

taste of auckland

The Taste of Auckland is Auckland's ultimate new food and wine event. Taste is a stunning celebration of the best cuisine that the city and the surrounding region has to offer.

Over four days, a selection of the city's finest restaurants offered their exquisite signature dishes in a festival atmosphere for guests to sample and enjoy.

flowering tea

I first saw this type of tea at Ping Pong in London. On a trip to Melbourne I was able to find this tea at T2 and bought a few packets to take home as I'd never seen them in Auckland before. With only one packet left, I'm glad to see T2 open a store in Auckland recently.

los angeles? london? under $100?

FIJI baby?

what's in my bag today...

louis vuitton stephen sprouse tribute graffiti tie

The last Louis Vuitton Stephen Sprouse Tribute Collection Graffiti Tie left in Australia! As pure luck of chance, I went into Louis Vuittonin Sydney to see if they had any of these for sale, having been told the day before there was only one in the country and it was on hold. I asked the Sales Associate if there were any in stock and she checked the computer and said there was only one left and it was available for sale. She confessed that she had never even seen this piece at all as there were not many available through their store.

Untouched and never been on display, fresh out of the plastic wrapper and out the door with me!

on my way home

Long day. I had booked my chauffeur to pick me up at 0530 for an 0830 departure so I could make the most of my lounge time by having a shower and getting some breakfast.

Arriving at the Sydney Airport at 0550, there were only two other people at the premium check-in and quite a few on the other side at the economy desks. There were no check-in agents there so I told the other two people I thought it was a bit slack that they were keeping us waiting, especially since I had booked my chauffeur at an earlier time so I could make the most of my lounge time. They both agreed.

When I was able to check in I was told that the flight was delayed and we would be boarding at 1115. That meant five hours in the Emirates Lounge which was fine by me.



I was the first person at the Emirates Lounge and was told by the staff that they were still setting up the food as it was early and they didn't expect many people in because of the delay. I was going to have a shower first anyway as I had basically just stepped out of bed and walked out of the house that morning.

When I walked back into the lounge area after my shower, the only other people in there were the two ladies I saw at check-in. They said that we were the only ones that didn't get a call to say there was a flight delay. I didn't mind since I enjoyed having the space (nearly) to myself. I was able to get some breakfast and read the newspaper and then go online and check my emails.

Fast forward five hours, and I was ready to leave. The lounge got pretty full as EK412 had arrived from Dubai and was being prepared to head to Auckland. I left the lounge and went to board the plane, and by this time it was 1115.

On board I was shown to my seat and had a pre-flight champagne. I was able to walk around the cabin and check out the on-board business class bar and the functions of my seat.




Time flew by as I was busy taking photos and by the time we actually pushed back it was 1230. We took off at 1300, four and a half hours later than expected.

out and about in sydney

And a trip to Sydney wouldn't be complete without cupcakes...

louis vuitton private shopping event

inaugural emirates a380 flight from auckland

Today was a historical day for aviation in New Zealand as Auckland International Airport welcomed the first A380 commercial service to arrive in the country, serviced by Emirates.

Using the new international terminal pier at Auckland International Airport, the Emirates A380 had arrived from Dubai via Sydney as EK412 and was scheduled to leave on the return leg as EK413 at 1845.






There was an hour delay in boarding, as VIP's on the inbound EK412 had a media presentation in The Emirates Lounge as well as being whisked away to a local vineyard, arriving late back to the airport.



I was lucky enough to have a spare seat next to me, which seemed to be one of the only spare seats on the flight. The onboard cameras were definately fun to watch!

wind and sails exhibition

Exhibiting for the duration of the Louis Vuitton Cup in Auckland, the Wind and Sails Exhibition is a collection of photography chronicling the history of the Louis Vuitton Cup and the America's Cup. It is being exhibited in the VIC Room at Louis Vuitton Queen Street, starting in the foyer and staircase leading up to the room.

happy new year

day trip to wellington

Air New Zealand have simplified the domestic check-in experience by installing self check-in kiosks at domestic airports in New Zealand. Simply swipe your airpoints or credit card and your booking comes up on the screen with options to choose your seat, weigh your luggage, print out your luggage tags, and print your boarding pass.