a rat race

It has been only a week since we arrived in beautiful New Zealand. Despite being taken by surprise by the rental situation in Auckland, we are noticing the different pace of life here. The weekends are weekends, no work happens between Friday afternoon and Monday morning, including in the real estate market. Speaking from experience, phone calls are a big no-no. The difference is so big that when we came across this playground of all playgrounds in Takapuna, we found it particularly funny to see this structure, called mouse, featured as a play equipment for kids. My withdrawal syndrome is kicking in and I felt a strange need for a dose of adrenaline.

Playgrounds here are wonderful. This one was particularly great as it was some 8 feet tall with multiple fun stuff to get the energy out. This wheel, where rough and tough tumble was a given, was very popular with the bigger boys and you can find ours there making friends with his magic smile. An in ground trampoline, tall climbing, multiple long spiraling slides, oversized see saw swing/balance beam were some of its features and that all right next to the beach with a view of the stunning Rangitoto island. A good place to be a kid.