night wandering

Just a quick post with some night wanderings. I'm in Auckland now, but didn't make it out yesterday before the sun set, so I'm keeping this short so I can get out there today. I wandered to the Wharf and noticed a house ablaze with neon in the distance. It turns out that it's a new and pretty cool piece of public art called The Lighthouse by Michael Parekowhai. A giant Capt James Cook is deep in thought in a hollowed out traditional New Zealand home, surrounded by neon "chandeliers." (Oddly, I could only find out what the piece was by looking up info later online, I couldn't find any signage or markings at the site.) I wandered over the bridge to one of the Arts Fest "Playgrounds," which had some cool exhibits in empty silos, though have to confess that I was a bit more intrigued by the silos themselves. From there I headed to K Road to discover a couple of the bars, which were surprisingly alive on a Tuesday night. Off now to see what the day hold before the sun sets…