• Filed under: Places to Try | Dining
• Location: Silverdale, Auckland
• Price range: Usual cafe prices, brioche doughnut-$5.00-7.00

All of us have that special place we go to when we are feeling down and need that caffeine fix and sugar comfort. For me it's this place near my home where you can eat the best brioche doughnuts and macaroons. I love the caramel doughnuts at Magnolia Kitchen. That and paired with a flat white just lifts my spirits and I'm ready to face the world again. This cafe also serves as a boutique shop and those fond of shabby chic will also love the decor. They sometimes switch stuff around and I like looking at new things every visit, tiny details I might have missed before. I also appreciate the creativity and little details. The tables are made of old doors and the lights are made of clouds. 

The cafe only has desserts, coffee and smoothies. Just a terrific place to come to on a cold winter day or when you want to chat with a friend. I am happy with my furry cup of flat white, spending a lazy Saturday afternoon. I apologise I wasn't able to take a photo of my doughnut! I forgot I was supposed to take one and just ate it. Here's a grabbed photo from their website. 

As always thank you for reading! Hope to see you again.

Caramel doughnuts!

What to do if you have lots of time and also love the theatre? Volunteer of course!

I was happy to be a volunteer for Shakespeare in the Park this year at the PumpHouse theatre in Takapuna, one of my favourite places to visit because it’s a theatre beside a lake! It's really a picturesque place especially during sunset. You can read my previous post about PumpHouse here. Shakespeare under the trees with a cool breeze is too much to pass up! A perfect summer thing to do for this Pinay Kiwi.

Setting up for the night. Look at that beautiful sky!

I volunteered for three (3) nights for the month of January. I was assigned to be an usher. Duties included checking tickets at the gate, directing guests to the loo and cleaning up some stuff left at the seats after the show. We also had a Health & Safety briefing in case of emergencies and what to do. 

It's official! Show me your tickets please!

We already have a crowd waiting for opening.

On each night I was assigned with a different partner usher. This part was interesting for me because you get to meet a lot of people and I always ask them why they volunteered. People had different reasons. Some were part of productions before and missed the environment. Others just wanted to give back. One guy in particular just lost his job and was looking to find himself. Something I can relate to. For my part  I took the gig mainly to watch live performances for free! On my last night I was paired with an older lady who was more fit than me! She could lift this big box of cushions over a flight of stairs while I was huffing and puffing behind her. 

Show is about to start! Go to your assigned areas please.

On my first night, the play was Hamlet. The show was doing fine and the weather was fine too initially. There was a cool breeze and the sun was about to set. The play was held at the outside amphitheater, but midway through the performance it started raining and then later, it was really pouring. We were told we will only stop the show until it was raining cats and dogs. The actors did their best to carry on with the show until it was just too much. We then had to transfer them to the main theater inside where Hamlet continued his diabolical and tragic scheme of revenge. We had to shuttle the remaining audience under the rain to go inside. They were really a good sport about it and went inside and stayed to finish the play.  I didn't bring a jacket because it was summer and was hot earlier in the day. Needless to say I was wet and shivering. 

One of the main characters in the play Much Ado About Nothing, her name was Hero, looked like half Filipina/Latina (like Vanessa Hudgens). A Filipina mom from the audience approached me during intermission and asked me if I was Hero’s mother! At first I was offended, did I really look that old to have a daughter her age? But then again, Hero was beautiful so maybe she could see the resemblance?! I decided to go with that. 😉 I politely told her no and just smiled. 

All in all it was a good volunteer experience for me. For those who would want to try this, here are some tips: bring a water-proof jacket because Auckland weather is unpredictable, have some bug spray and bring some water. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Shakespeare at the Park will run until the 20th of February. 

Thank you for reading and see you again soon!

When I first came to Auckland, I had no friends and no money to spend on entertainment. I had to be creative in finding ways to amuse myself aside from books and Tinder (wink...wink). Fortunately for tourists and new migrants out there who love the arts like me, this city has plenty to offer. I was thrilled to get a chance to watch the Auckland Symphony Orchestra (ASO) in concert for free.  I have always fancied the orchestra but back home I didn’t have many opportunities to watch them. I was so excited to see the famous more than 80 members community symphony orchestra at the Bruce Mason Theatre.

The Concert: Myths and Legends

The programme was made up of music that portrays a range of myths and legends from around the world. The concert featured two wonderful soloists Sara Lee on Piano and Seyoun Park on the traditional Korean string instrument Gayageum, and of course Auckland Symphony Orchestra.

I wasn’t allowed to take pictures during the performance and I was too busy absorbing everything in. I was able to find a good seat near the front too. The orchestra was lovely, I was enthralled and my heart was full. I feel like I want to learn to play the violin or something! LOL. My favourite piece was the theme from Pirates of the Caribbean, just because it was also the only one I knew!  I found a video of their performance of the same piece on Youtube to share with you. You’re welcome! J

Pirates of the Caribbean performed by ASO