Some of the people you meet while traveling linger longer than the places themselves. Janet and John, our hosts during our first stay in Auckland, are that for me. They carried an air of self-assurance and calm that seemed to soften everything around them.
They met seventy years ago, when Janet was 8 and John was 10 (Janet was close friends with John’s sister). Many years later, they fell in love and they have been inseparable ever since.
Janet is a funny lady—the kind of grandma that’s prone to rambling and repetition, but so warm and sincere that interrupting her feels unthinkable.
She’s a vocal leftist-her kitchen walls and counters scattered with handwritten quotes from Frantz Fanon and Chinua Achebe.
Art is everywhere in her life. She’s a talented pianist who teaches young pianists as a hobby, and she is ever-so proud of her daughter, who is, by all accounts, an amazing playwright. She is also an oil painter! The cherrywood walls of her spacious living room are lined with many of her own paintings (usually of flowers)
In the corner of the room, near a large window overlooking the garden and the Auckland skyline, sits a grand piano. Janet returns to it several times a day—between chores, walks, and naps. At least once daily, she challenges herself with Bach to keep her fingers nimble as her hands age. Watching her play feels intimate, almost reverent, as if time slows to accommodate the music.
John, by contrast, is quiet and deliberate, the counterbalance to Janet’s airy warmth. He speaks rarely, but his kindness is unmistakable. Every movement seems thoughtful. He’s Janet’s rock, managing the logistics of the house and anchoring its rhythm. Their staircase is lined with family portraits—evidence of a large, close-knit family in which John clearly stands as a gentle patriarch.
On our final day, 3 of his grandsons emptied out the crawlspace, scattering the yard with objects from past lives—things that haven’t seen sunlight in decades. The boys joke and work together easily, their camaraderie echoing something familiar from my own childhood. It was such a pleasure getting to know them 🥹
