the day went well, and around lunch time, kylie, lloryian and myself left the 3 boys and headed into auckland for a couple hours shopping.
the crowds when we left were massively long, stretching behind the station and all the way to the signal box... at least an hour long wait with no shade. i applaud everyone for standing in it so patiently.
first, we went to derby depot so kylie and i could check out some skates. we bought a pair each, and also got colored laces to make them "ours" properly.
after that, we went to sylvia park for lunch. ive never been in a shopping centre that big. would need a couple of days there to see it all. i found a toyworld and picked up some new thomas minis.
we made it back to glenbrook in time to catch the last train of the weekend, which was lucky as i hadnt gone on one yet. the crowds had really thinned by then, which made the trip more enjoyable. we rode in the open wagon at the end.
we packed up, loaded everything into blairs ute and gregs van, making sure we had everything before heading away. one of the glenbrook guys told us there were 3 coreflute signs in the area advertising the event, and if we got them we could have them, as they would just go in the trash otherwise.
greg got a bit enthusiastic, removing a sign from the front fence without looking at it first. it was advertising water. he stuck it back up on the post, and its something he wont live down. the thought was there, and i will never forget it.
after we got all the signs, we stopped at looked at the glenbrook steel mill, and then decided to try and get to a local lighthouse in time for sunset. we made it, but the gravel road that went to the lighthouse was gated shut for the night, so we had to settle with what we got. the other four went out again the next morning, but greg had stops to make on the way home, so we skipped it.