Are shops open on Anzac Day in Auckland?

Most shops stay closed until 1pm on Anzac Day, so we had a slow morning at home — warm soup and toasted bread — before heading out to Westgate in the late morning.

What is there to do on a quiet long weekend at home with kids?

Ours was a slow breakfast, an outlet trip for shoes the children had outgrown, dinner with a friend's family while the children played for hours, and bedtime stories for all three — a picture book, the first chapter of a Korean junior novel and the first chapter of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

A Slow Anzac Long Weekend in Auckland With Kids

The first long weekend of the new term, and we let it pass quietly.

On Anzac Day, when most shops stay closed until 1pm, we stayed in for a slow morning. A pot of warm soup, and the crusty ends of last week's lunchbox bread — the bits I'd frozen — toasted golden in butter. By late morning we headed out to Westgate. I'd spotted a sale on Threads the night before, and the children's feet, as they always do, had grown again.

Friends Visit for Dinner

Westgate's row of permanent outlet stores were running another 30 to 40 per cent — sometimes 50 — off the already-marked-down tags. Running shoes for $30 a pair. We picked up a pair or two for everyone, hoodies for the girls, shorts for PeNnY. By the time we'd finished, the children were declaring starvation, so we ducked into an Italian place nearby for dinner. On the way back to the car, fairy lights had been strung between the buildings, glowing like small stars over Westgate at dusk.

The Final Day of Rest

On Sunday, Jin's friend's family came over. The children disappeared into their own world for hours; the adults eventually drifted into ours, and we shared a long dinner together. We hadn't all sat down like this in a while — everyone had been busy in their own corners — and the conversation moved easily, the way it does when there's no rush.

Friends gathered for dinner on a quiet Sunday evening

Just one extra day of rest, and yet the last day moved gently. It wasn't until afternoon that I finally went out for groceries. Ham and cheese for the lunchboxes, morning tea snacks, milk, a little meat — that sort of shopping. Somewhere between the aisles, PeNnY — recently obsessed with putting basil on his pizzas — turned up holding a small basil plant. I'm not someone who keeps plants alive. The only thing I've managed to grow is spring onion, which more or less raises itself. But I took the pot anyway. On the drive home, I named her YuBaba, after the first character of my name. I looked up how to look after a basil plant — it'll need repotting, and pinching back the tips. Welcome home, Baba. Let's stay together a long time.

Dinner was the baked pizza with basil — separately bought — on for Penny, a croissant sandwich for the others. For dessert, dense little lava cakes. Three palm-sized cakes for $5, which we shared between us, all of us regretting that I hadn't bought another box.

That night, all five of us slept in the same room. Each child had picked a book, and I read them in turn. Jin's picture book all the way to the end; the first chapter of Hyun's Korean junior novel; the first chapter of Min's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. When the next night comes, we'll read the second chapters.

한국어 요약

새 학기 첫 연휴를 조용히 보냈다. 대부분의 가게가 오후 1시까지 문을 닫는 Anzac Day 아침에는 집에서 느긋하게 보냈다. 따뜻한 수프 한 냄비와, 지난주 도시락 빵 끝부분을 얼려 뒀다가 버터에 노릇하게 구운 토스트. 늦은 오전에는 Westgate로 나갔다. 전날 밤 세일 소식을 봤고, 아이들 발은 늘 그렇듯 또 자라 있었다.

Westgate 아웃렛 매장들은 이미 할인된 가격에서 30~40퍼센트, 때로는 50퍼센트를 더 깎아 주고 있었다. 식구마다 운동화를 한두 켤레씩, 딸들 후드티, PeNnY의 반바지를 샀다. 아이들이 배고프다고 아우성쳐서 근처 이탈리안 식당에서 저녁을 먹었다. 차로 돌아가는 길, 건물 사이에 걸린 전구가 저녁의 Westgate 위에서 작은 별처럼 빛났다. 일요일에는 Jin의 친구 가족이 놀러 왔다. 아이들은 몇 시간이고 저희끼리 놀았고, 어른들도 오랜만에 서두를 것 없이 긴 저녁을 함께했다.

마지막 날 오후에야 장을 보러 나갔다. 요즘 피자에 바질 올리기에 빠진 PeNnY가 작은 바질 화분을 들고 나타났다. 나는 식물을 잘 키우는 사람이 아니지만 화분을 받아 들었고, 돌아오는 차 안에서 YuBaba라는 이름을 붙였다. 그날 밤 다섯 식구가 한 방에서 잤다. 아이마다 고른 책을 차례로 읽어 주었다. Jin의 그림책은 끝까지, Hyun의 한국어 동화와 Min의 찰리와 초콜릿 공장은 첫 장까지. 다음 날 밤에는 둘째 장을 읽기로 했다.

Yussi

Writer · Social work student, Massey University

A mother of three girls and a Korean immigrant making Mairangi Bay home — writing about starting school, home learning and everyday life on Auckland's North Shore.

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Frequently asked questions

Are shops open on Anzac Day in Auckland?: Most shops stay closed until 1pm on Anzac Day, so we had a slow morning at home — warm soup and toasted bread — before heading out to Westgate in the late morning.
What is there to do on a quiet long weekend at home with kids?: Ours was a slow breakfast, an outlet trip for shoes the children had outgrown, dinner with a friend's family while the children played for hours, and bedtime stories for all three — a picture book, the first chapter of a Korean junior novel and the first chapter of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

#longweekend #anzacday #westgateoutlet #basilplant

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