Auckland and Muriwai

The first night I was in Auckland, I watched a man fall in love with a blow-up doll in Lars and the Real Girl.

I kept thinking of Melbourne as if it was my home, as if I was going back there soon.

I remember walking along the beach and then following my cousin and my aunt's dog into a concrete fort, and into military tunnels that were so dark I couldn't see anything until I'd reached the end and could stare out at the sea.

The sky was blue that day, unlike Melbourne, which had hailstones the day I left, when I changed trams from one to the other, to get to the coach station.

We wandered along Muriwai Beach, but the gannets were gone. No jellyfish were to be seen either, but I did see starfish clinging to rocks, bigger and more colourful than the starfish in Melbourne.

We visited hot pools and whooshed down hydroslides, and as I laid in the hot water, staring up at the sky, I wondered if it was really winter.