Happy Easter

I am enjoying a four day weekend for Easter and there is still no sign of the end of summer. In the spectacular weather Marie and I decided to go to an Easter fair. We found it in Cornwall Park, quite far south, in a part of Auckland I have never seen before.

The fair is a popular attraction on this sunny holiday

There were lots of people at the fair having fun at the rides, trying to win at the booths and having street food from the stalls. We made our way through the crowd to the main stage and saw the end of Alice in Wonderland while the bikers got ready for their performance.

Applause for Alice in Wonderland

Marie and I were both excited to see The Freestyle Motorcross show. Three of the best stunt riders of New Zealand had come to the fair and they were eager to show off their skills. They warmed up doing wheelies right in front of the crowd and went on to do some spectacular jumps on a ramp. The show was action packed with the three riders making jumps in rapid succession. The difficulty escalated towards the final stunts and culminated with a wild backflip. I found the show very entertaining and it was a great way to start our day at the fair.

I cheer with the crowd at the riders and their wild stunts

For lunch we had sushi from one of the stalls and then we were ready to see some more. We went into the farm show, which had a large touch the animals area, a place for judging of the best looking farm animals and a sheep shearing competition.

Piglets in harmony

I must admit I was laughing on the inside, while watching the sheep shearing competition. The sport is crazy, and yet it would be even more strange if it didn't exist. There are so many sheep in New Zealand that it would be odd if farmers didn't challenge each other to find out who is the better shearer. Yet looking at a bunch of old men use an electrical trimming machine with fervour on a bunch of dumbfounded sheep is just more comical than intense.

Sheep shearing: Obviously invented in New Zealand

One Tree Hill

The fair also features a zombie apocalypse area, an art gallery and a circus, but we felt like we had seen enough. Instead we escaped the crowd and climbed the volcano, One Tree Hill. It is located in the centre of Cornwall Park and is an important memorial site for the Maori. In the park we walked by lots of barbecues on the grass by Kiwis enjoying the holiday and the weather. 

View of One Tree Hill behind a cricket field

On the top we were grateful for the cooling breeze. We had a great view of the city and I liked to see the southern part of Auckland from here. 

Marie in front of Auckland and Rangitoto 

The sea is close to Auckland on both sides

At the end of this summer day in Easter we had an ice cream from the creamery of Cornwall Park before we found a bus home.