Tuesday, February 28, 2023

Today we drove from Whangarei to Auckland by way of the Sculptureum in Matakana.  The drive took about 3.5 hours, more than normal because of a detour due to road closures and general roadwork to clean up storm slips and to repair roads.  It was a gorgeous day.

Matakana is on the east side of the North Island, a bit more than an hour out of Auckland. It is a popular getaway for Aucklanders.  There are several vineyards and the Sculptureum, which we had never visited.  The Sculptureum was impressive, a very eclectic and extensive mix of scuplture and art in beautifully landscaped gardens that managed to integrate many natural elements.  You can see the range from the array of photos below.  Our favorite were the animal sculptures of driftwood by Jack Marsden.  There were also some indoor galleries that boasted a Matisse, Cezanne, Picasso and some glass works by Dale Chihuly and some of his students.  It was all first class and presented in a very accessible way.  The collection and gardens were established by an Auckland couple who are lawyers.  An experience shared is always better, we had a lovely wander with friends Caryll and Des.

After the Scupltureum, we journeyed on to Auckland to visit our long-time friend, Jo.  We counted up, Frances has known Jo for 48 years, a wonderful life friendship.  Jim tinkered with Jo’s TV – establishing an Internet connection, while Jo and Frances picked up as though it hadn’t been 2 years since they had last sat together.  We look forward to stopping in to see Jo a couple more times on this trip when we are again in Auckland.