We spent our final day in Auckland taking it easy.

After breakfast, we st around for a bit and then wandered back to the Auckland Art Gallery. I spent some time in the gallery of Maori portraits from the late 19th and early 20th century. They tell a story of resistance and conquest, quite different from the history of Hawaii.

Then we had a quick lunch at the museum cafe before returning to our hotel in order to catch part of a weekly Zoom call with friends from our years at Whitman College many decades ago. So those participating in today’s call were spread from Auckland to Portland, Seattle, and New York City.

At this point, we’re ready to get home and surprise the cats. It’s Wednesday night in Auckland, and we’re due to arrive in Honolulu early Wednesday morning. Kind of a Groundhog Day experience.

All in all, it has been an enjoyable visit. Good weather with the exception of a single day. This is our second year in a row that we visited about the same time of year. This could get to be a habit, although one of these trips is going to have to extend to Wellington or down to the South Island.

In any case, we’re now waiting in the Air New Zealand lounge for our late night flight back to Honolulu. Lots of food and drink to get us through the wait!