Sarah's Tache-Tastic Belated Birthday Adventure

For those who really know me, would know that my birthday was back in October. It is now January. For why did you not go on an adventure back in October, you ask?? Truth be told, Jack was only 4 weeks old at the time of my birthday, and I simply wasn't up for leaving the house to go on such adventures. I didn't forget I was owed an adventure, and likewise, Rebecca didn't forget she was the one who owed it. If you didn't know, annually, my sister Rebecca and I write a crazy day long adventures for each others birthdays. The aim is to spend some quality time with each other, do a bunch of fun things and eat nice food. Though the main aim is to embarrass the person whose adventure it is. Suffice to say, I was suitably embarrassed today!

I received my 'Tache-Tastic Adventure" list by email over a week ago. I believe I asked Rebecca to email it to me, so that I knew what I was in for. I never expected her to actually send it! I feared the worst...although I didn't need to. This was going to be fun. Crazy. But fun. I bring you Sarah's 'Tache-Tastic Belated Birthday Adventure. 

Task number one: Breakfast at Fact Tree Cafe. FACT: the fake moustache you are about to be presented with will be worn for the rest of our adventure. Breakfast was yum. If you haven't been there - you must go. It is well priced, fresh, well presented and incredibly tasty. The decor is funky... very Pinterest, if you get what I mean. It has come to be a favourite cafe of mine. We devoured some pretty tasty big breakfasts and downed a trio of teas (I failed on the Chai, but Becky won with her Hibiscus Elderflower and Berry tea and Mum also won with her Cleopatra's Champagne Tea).

After breakfast, Rebecca slowly but surely pulled a new packet of self-adhesive moustaches from her handbag and let me select which one I would wear for the day. I explained that I would need a mirror, so would wait until we returned to the car. She stared at me blankly and informed me that the bathrooms here did in fact have mirrors. Moments later, I emerged from the bathrooms (after much giggling at myself in the mirror!) with a fluffy moustache on my upper lip and feeling like every pair of eyes in the cafe were on me. They probably weren't, but it sure felt that way!

My new 'tache... recently applied.  That cup can't hide it. Nice try.

It made sense at this point to knock another challenge off the list of dares for the day and keep a straight face and buy some Pringles, commenting on how much you like his moustache. You are still wearing your 'tache. Begrudgingly I looked around in the Dairy next door for the familiar tube of Pringles. I couldn't see them. Fail. I still had my moustache on my face - and had to ask the Indian owner if they sold Pringles. He gestured to the floor in front of the counter. They had them. Wonderful! I selected Sour Cream and Chives and popped them onto the counter. I was all the while commenting how much I liked his moustache and did he think that it was similar to my amazing moustache. He didn't react... at all. He was completely dead-pan like nothing out of the ordinary was happening in his little Dairy on this Tuesday morning. Random! Oh well - another task crossed off the list.

Moustaches... same / same! Quite a resemblance.

We piled back into the car (did I mention that Jack joined us on this adventure...?) and Mum mentioned there was a man outside Fact-Tree who was having a good old chuckle to himself at the fact I was wearing a fluffy moustache.  There he was, sitting and enjoying his morning flat white in the sunshine. Rebecca and I got out of the car and I approached this man...hoping he wouldn't mind the interruption. I briefly explained what I was doing and why I was doing it, gave him a choice of the selection of moustaches from the packet and posed for a photo. He even asked for a selfie so that he could show his girlfriend, because she would *never* believe him. The best part was that as we were driving away, he was still wearing the fake moustache! So there you go, I managed to pose for a photo with a stranger wearing a fake 'tache .
 

Do you know this man....????!

Yep. Still wearing it. He's awesome!

It was time to head for the big smoke and get down to some serious 'tache business. We arrived at Auckland Domain and looked for some parking. Quite liking 'Parking for parents with strollers'! We endured two idiots who both decided that reversing to get out of the car park at the same time, back to back, was a grand idea. #Facepalm. I parked the car and Rebecca and I hopped out with the destination of the Winter Gardens in mind. Mum waited in the car with sleeping Jack - which I was grateful for. Thanks Mum! (she also had her facebook fix... so it was all win/win!)

Serious 'tache face...

Other drivers stupidity  #facepalm

The task was this: The winter gardens are full of Stony company, 'tache six of your new friends and get your photo taken with them. I had dreaded this one, thinking by stony Rebecca was referring to grumpy tourists. I was worried about approaching SIX grumpy tourists and convincing them to don a fake moustache for my entertainment. Imagine my relief when Rebecca explained that she meant STATUES. Whew. Bullet: dodged. I felt more than a little bit rebellious sticking fake moustaches onto statues in the winter gardens. But I did it, and I LOLLED every time. There really is something more than a little hilarious about 'tache-ing statues. the first statue we 'tached was a good one. It was here that we met a new friend, Mr Asian man from the tour bus, who was standing and watching me pose with a moustache on both myself and the statue. Rebecca invited him to be in the photo, and he explained with dismay that he couldn't because he didn't have a moustache. We responded by telling him that we could help with that, and even let him choose which one he wanted to sport. I asked him (perhaps a little slowly and clearly) where he was from, to which he responded he is a Doctor from Sydney. That I did not expect! Assumptions! I feel that I well and truly posed for a photo with a stranger wearing a fake 'tach. 

His 'tache totes looks REAL!

Jeez. Even the plants sport 'taches around here...

My sister. My best friend. She's as nuts as I am!

That's Bert to you. Sarah HerBERT

Welcome to my adventure!

Who wore it better...?

We may or may not have *accidentally* left this 'tache on this statue....

Not a bad resemblance...

My next task was to make up a song which featured my love for my new 'tache at a location of my choice and sing it to the world. I chose to do this in the Domain, as it was a little quieter and it is embarrassing enough to sing, let alone sing in front of a crowd. I am an instrumentalist. NOT a vocalist! Still... this makes me laugh!

Totes held a boat. Sorta. Kinda. Not really!!!!

From there, it was time to head down to the Viaduct and pose for a photo wearing my 'tache with ten of the greatest artworks in Auckland with a very serious face. Click here if you are really serious about seeing this art trail for youself! Some of them were hard to find.

Molly Macalister's Maori Warrior statue was commissioned by Auckland City in 1964 and completed in 1967. The 3m-tall figure is enveloped in an artistic interpretation of a traditional Maori cloak. The warrior looks to the horizon holding a mere, a symbol of peace, in his right hand. It was intended that the welcoming figure would seem to greet visitors and new settlers who, at that time, arrived on passenger liners that docked at the wharves in downtown Auckland.

Flight Trainer for Albatross Sculpture. This was the first work commissioned by the Auckland City Sculpture Trust and it carries a message of global significance. It is informed by conservation issues, particularly the protection of our marine environment and birdlife. Every year, untold numbers of birds are killed or maimed through trawling and netting at sea. Many birds not killed outright sustain damage to their wings which cripples them or kills them indirectly by preventing them from searching for food.

The flooded mirror and silt line stairs. The Flooded Mirror tells an abstract sound story of the interconnections between sea, geology and humans. The artist, Shearer, has developed sounds inspired by mineral structure as a metaphor for those processes that affect the land formation, geological strata, culture and communities. Shearer says: "It is like an aural map of energy flow narration ancient general histories and specific recent histories."

Sounds of Sea. Sounds of Sea is based on the ventilation funnels and speaking tubes used on ships and are designed for sitting, listening and speaking.

The artists were inspired by the unique site and "hollow" structure of the warf. The sculptures are a reminder to the history of the waterfront and its on-going role as an active shipping harbour, transforming the wharf into an old ship deck.  

Bathroom selfies. Rebecca suggested I should use the male toilets, given my 'stache situation.

The trail was relatively uneventful, except for when we were standing at the traffic lights to cross the road who did we see again but our Asian Doctor friend from Sydney! This time he had an entourage and they all wanted a piece of moustache madness - all keen to take photos of themselves with me wearing my 'tache. The best part was that this man still had his moustache!!! A definite highlight.

.....we meet again, my Sydney Doctor friend.....

We had to wait for the draw bridge to let a boat through.

I read a book at the public library (because every city has a random free library inside a shipping container) and then it was time to attempt some Gangnam style. How I wished I had rehearsed it before today! The saddest part is that the video was corrupt or something so you don't get to enjoy it :( Trust me. It was as hilarious (and embarrassing) as it sounds!

We managed to find a stranger sporting quite a nice 'tache of his own who was happy to pose for a photo, so ticked another task off the list by finding someone with a real 'tache and have your photo taken with them. 

Look how happy he is!! Fact: Moustaches bring happiness.

I also had the challenge of taking a photo with Jack wearing a 'tache.  Challenge: he can't be crying. I was smart with this and chose to do it when he had just been fed and was milk drunk. He wasn't fazed in the slightest! He had it on for about ten minutes and I only took it off because we were leaving and we didn't want him to choke on it! Too funny seeing a baby with a mo. At some point I will draw eye-brows on him too... did I say that????

Our last stop of the day was to visit the Moustache milk and cookie bar Wellesley, because you'll feel right at home. I have wanted to go here since I first heard about it. I was sadly disappointed. The cookies I make at home taste much the same (William is always saying I make the best cookies in the world...could he be right?!?!?) and it seemed a bit...tired? That all aside, I enjoyed a Whittakers chocolate chunk cookie with chocolate milk. And it was good. With that all done, I peeled off my moustache for the last time...and began concocting plans for the next adventure for my sister, Rebecca. She will be 28 weeks pregnant...so it need to be preggo friendly, but I'm up for the challenge. Watch this space!

Oh and randomly, we saw Brie!

The very last instruction on my adventure was: I'm tired, you can take your 'tache off now - I want to go home please.




Done.


Cheery bye :)