Day Three Part One: Graves and Greenery in Auckland

So today I was on my own in Auckland. First I wandered down Karangahape Road (K-Road); saw some groovy gear in the vintage clothing shops. Then I found this cemetery. Anyone who knows me knows I have a thing for graveyards, especially old ones. These headstones weren't very old compared with those in England and New England, and many of the epitaphs were obscured, so these shots are more of an arty nature.

Finally, I left the cemetery in search of...

Yes! You do not have to go very far to find a place serving coffee in New Zealand. I have even seen road signs showing a coffee cup symbol.

However, this joint was not open, so I crossed the street and hiked over a long bridge.

I reached the Auckland Domain, which is, as Blair described it, "like Hyde Park only prettier". It has duck ponds too.

I stopped in the Winter Gardens cafe for a flat white and a piece of cake.

While I was sitting there outside, a little sparrow with a mangled foot (an old injury; he was hobbling along fine) was begging for a crumb. But I had never seen his method employed before; he would fly up to the level of my head and hover there like a hummingbird! It was kind of amazing. When I eventually got my camera out he finally did it again, but for a shorter time. By the way, I did give him a few crumbs, then this little kid came along and threw a slice of bread his way.

During this video, he stopped hovering and perched himself boldly on my table!

And here's a short burst of hovering:

The Winter Gardens contain two greenhouses; one "hot" and one "cold". They both were kind of steamy though.