Saturday, April 30, 2011

Avocados ... and steam engines!

Pretty cool eh?  The council has an avocado orchard and you're allowed to pop along and pick the fruit for free.  Just don't be greedy or silly.  Take five, and don't take them if they're not going to be useful.  Amazing!  In this user pays world in which we live, finding something like this is really rather special.  Are there any avocados?  Of course!
There's heaps of avocados, but they're all rather green and the notice does say they won't ripen if they're picked.  I'm not sure about this.  Reasonable sized avocados put amongst other fruits like bananas and oranges seem to go ripe rather well.  Any comments or hints on ripening avocados you'd like to share?

After visiting the avocado orchard we headed into Auckland City.  We'd decided to have a walk around Parnell ... quite a quaint part of the city with lovely old buildings and a pleasant atmosphere.  Anyway, whilst in Parnell we heard the unmistakable sound of a steam engine.  Mainline Steam were playing trains ... except these were big full size mainline steam locomotives ... not model trains.  We had a great time looking around the facility.
Mainline Steam's 4-8-4 J1211 "Gloria" outside their Parnell sheds.
"Gloria" at Mainline Steam in Parnell.  Built 1939 in Glasgow. 

Mainline Steam's Ja1267 in their  Parnell sheds.
Mainline Steam, Parnell, Auckland, New Zealand
Current Auckland locomotive and rolling stock climbing out of Auckland towards Newmarket through Parnell.

Somewhat futuristic interior or Auckland's Britomart railway station.

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