O Auckland my Auckland! Our fearful trip is done,

John Banks has weathered every rack, the prize he sought is won,

The port is (not) near, the bells I hear, the people all revolting,

While follow eyes the steady dollar, the World Cup grim and boring;

But O heart! heart! heart!

O the bleeding drops of red,

Where on the deck public transport lies,

Fallen cold and dead.

Also, it would seem, Gelato.

Giapo sells Gelato. And, if I may say so, it’s epically good Gelato. They have a range of flavours which cannot be said to be exotic, but are definitely wide ranging, and are all delicious. But the tastiness of the flavours are not why I’m thinking about social networking while writing about frozen dairy desserts. That’s because Giapo is amazingly engaged with various social networking systems, and internet stuff in general. They have a Facebook Page. They’re on Twitter. They have a blog and no less than two different youtube channels. They have a Google Apps form for daily flavours. (Note: My favourite flavour is ‘Just For Girls”. Read into this what you will.) Holy shit. They may actually be leveraging this stuff more than any other company in New Zealand. Certainly more than any national or local government body, so far.

The net result of all this social networking is that you start to think of them less as a faceless corporate purveyor of frozen snacks, and more like a friend. A friend you might drop into when you’re in town, and then twitter about how utterly delicious their gelato is.

And you will.

Giapo is at 279 Queen Street, just up the road from the Civic.

I have definite magpie-like tendencies. By which I don’t mean that I swoop down from trees to viciously peck unsuspecting pedestrians on the head. Rather, I’m irresistably drawn to pretty shiny things. So the New Zealand Jewellery Show is right up my alley.

Held at SkyCity from 2-4 July, the show will feature over 100 contemporary and fine jewellery designers from throughout New Zealand along with an exhibition featuring work from Fingers and Masterworks, the Regal Castings Jewellery Design Awards and the Designers’ Choice selection which this year will focus on rings.

More information, including opening times and ticket prices, can be found on the official website. So go along, browse, and buy something pretty for me because I’ll be on a plane winging my way to England for a three week family holiday. (Yeah, I know. It sucks to be me.)

So when a friend asked if I wanted to hit Coco’s Cantina for a mid-week dinner, I was stoked. But when we arrived there was an hour long wait. On a freaking Tuesday. Is it really that good? And is it just a cool restaurant with Mexican food, a la Sweet Mothers Kitchen, just more expensive?

I saw The Cult perform in Wellington in 1993. I was four months pregnant at the time and spent the whole concert trying not to breathe in order to avoid brain damage to my unborn baby from the *ahem* herbal cigarette smoke that wreathed the venue; and the very drunk guy standing next to us took exception to the way my (now ex) husband looked at him and threatened violence.

I didn’t enjoy the concert much at all. Not because of herbal smoke or dickhead drunks, but because it was, quite frankly, lacklustre. Some musicians make their audience feel a part of something. Even if lines like “wow, this is the best audience we’ve played to” are hackneyed and trite, with the right delivery and some genuine emotion behind it the audience will believe. Other bands give off an “if it’s Wednesday then this must be New Zealand” vibe that leaves the audience with the impression that the band would rather be anywhere doing anything else than playing this particular song for the 157th time, and The Cult was one of those.

But hey, I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. I still love their music and wouldn’t mind seeing them again, so I’m quite tempted to book myself tickets for their concert at Trusts Stadium on Monday 3 May. The Love World Tour follows a different format from your standard concert, with The Cult performing in its entirety their seminal 1985 album “Love”, followed by a “best of” finale showcasing their biggest hits.

So, what do you think? Should I give them another chance? Tickets are available from Ticket Direct.

Te Tuhi lemon tree grove, Preston Road reserve, East Otara

I’m pleased to announce that the foraging movement is growing around New Zealand. ha. Growing. Oh, I’m hilarious.

Anyway… Auckland in particular is lush with free fruit and vegetables. The brilliant thing is that Councils are now supporting the movement (among many other fabulous people). East Otara is on it’s way to having the first Freedom Fruit Garden:

The inaugural planting of a Freedom Fruit garden will occur on Friday 25 June from 9.30am, at Preston Road Reserve, East Otara, Auckland. The day of planting will be celebrated with an official opening event, with performances including Rongomai Primary School’s Kapa Haka group and conclude with a hangi.

John Darroch, guerrilla gardener and general horticultural genius, recently appeared on Close Up talking about foraging in Central Auckland. If you want to give it a go but don’t really know where to start, there is a helpful google map of free food sources all around New Zealand. General foraging etiquette applies… in basic terms, be nice. Also, feel free to add your own secret spots to the map. In particular, if you have a feijoa tree and happen to live near Newmarket, I’d be pleased to see your input. Kthx.

I’m on a mission to do some guerrilla gardening of my own. I think the empty section next door would be infinitely more fetching with a giant pumpkin patch on it. Yusssssssss.

Avenue Q won three major Tony Awards in 2004 and has gone on to be one of the longest running shows on Broadway, as well as being a huge hit on London’s West End. Most of the cast of Avenue Q are puppets (operated by actors on stage) and the show is largely inspired by Sesame Street.

The story centres around Princeton, a bright-eyed college grad who comes to New York City with big dreams and a tiny bank account. He soon discovers that the only neighborhood in his price range is Avenue Q; still, the neighbors seem nice. There’s Brian the out-of-work comedian and his therapist fiancée Christmas Eve; Nicky the good-hearted slacker and his roommate Rod — a Republican investment banker who seems to have some sort of secret; an internet addict called Trekkie Monster; and a very cute kindergarten teaching assistant named Kate Monster. And would you believe the building’s superintendent is Gary Coleman?!? (Yes, that Gary Coleman.) Their lives also intermingle with renowned nightclub singer, Lucy the Slut, and school principal, Mrs. Thistletwat. Together, Princeton and his newfound friends struggle to find jobs, dates, and their ever-elusive purpose in life.

Avenue Q plays at The Civic for a strictly limited season from Thursday 13 May. Tickets are available from The Edge, and more information about the muscial can be found on its official website.

On 12 May you can sip tea and nibble delicious dainties whilst listening to Lauraine Jacobs, Tui Flower, Julie Biuso and Julie Le Clerc – four of the many food writers and chefs who contributed to A Treasury of New Zealand Baking.

Also on 12 May, Emily Perkins, Finlay Macdonald, Gordon McLauchlan, Steve Braunias, Bill Hastings and Jennifer Ward-Lealand will argue the moot: “Off the Shelf and Into the Hard-drive: the Book is Dead” at St-Matthew-In-The-City, with Te Radar as moderator.

14 Year Old Daughter’s favourite band Ivy Lies will be talking about songwriting on 13 May as part of the 2010 Schools Programme. If 14 Year Old Daughter can’t talk her teachers into taking the class along I may just have to take her myself, or risk her imploding with disappointment!

If your brain needs some shaping up tutor Kathryn Burnett will lead participants through a series of exercises designed to stimulate imagination and give your right brain a workout in Brainstorm: Creativity Workshop on 15 May.

This is just a sampling of the events on offer, a full programme and ticketing information is available on the Readers and Writers Festival website.

Luckily for 14 Year Old Daughter Ivy Lies are supporting Dane Rumble (whose debut album The Experiment is doing quite well by all accounts) in an all ages gig at Pukekohe Town Hall on May 15 from 5pm. Specifically focussed on the under-18’s there will be no alcohol at the gig and apparently parents are welcome too so I’m hoping she invites me because I’m quite partial to Ivy Lies too!

Tickets to the Dane Rumble / Ivy Lies all ages gig are available from iTicket.