South Islander Louise Mackenzie has made Auckland her base after eight years overseas. The business developer shares a house on the ridge of Orakei, but more importantly, shares a striking resemblance to Outrageous Fortune's Cheryl West. She tells Catherine Smith what she loves about her adopted home.
I'm from the South Island, and when I came up to Auckland years ago to visit I had dinner at Mission Bay and I thought "this is gorgeous, if I ever lived in Auckland this would be it". So here I am.
It'a brilliant area. My flatmate and I can walk from the fountain at Mission Bay all the way to St Heliers, and then as a big treat we'll stop at The Store for a gelato or at the Kohi Cafe for coffee. You can't take that body for granted - as well as the walking I've started Boot Camp three mornings a week at the Auckland Domain and we run on the beach at dawn.
We can see Rangitoto from the house and it's such a major part of our day, overlooking all the yachts, the big kites, the kids in their boats. You never tire of it. We've got a jacaranda and a pohutukawa and I've taken so many photos. When I go walking now I'll take the camera and I'm gutted if I forgot to take it. Every day is just gorgeous, but different. I was just devastated last year when I got back from holiday that the pohutukawa had been and gone. That and Rangitoto are just implanted on my brain now, it's part of my day sitting on the deck looking out, every day the sea is just a different colour.
When you get home from work, you can go down and lie on the beach for an hour or so, you still have time in the evenings. In winter we were picking mushrooms up on Bastion Point with the sun just coming up, it's beautiful with the grey dawn. The field mushrooms were the size of dinner plates but if you got there after 6am they were all gone.
From here I can easily head into Newmarket for shopping; Eastridge is just up the road and Orakei is convenient to duck around the back roads to Sylvia Park. Mamma Rosa's great neighbourhood Italian is tucked down a back street: fabulous lasagne and entertaining owners. Sebastian's restaurant in Orakei is fabulous, or Morton's in St Heliers where you sit looking out over the water. Or mussels at the Belgian Beer Cafe - it's all about sitting and watching the people.
I love the markets and stuff all around Auckland, I'll go over to Grey Lynn or Parnell as they're fantastic. I'm on the Big Little City email group so I can find out what's going on all around Auckland, there's so much to do.
But I do love the West too. Because I'm in sales I get to go all over Auckland and I discovered Laingholm, that's so cool. The west coast beaches like Port Waikato are great with that huge surf and black sand. And then you cross to the east coast and it's all golden. I can't wait til the Rugby World Cup is here, I am such a rugby fan. I've seen the Breakers, I went to the league Four Nations, this is great city for sports fans. The World Cup here will be better than Sydney in 2000, more big strong burly men about. I'm going to marry Richie McCaw.
On being Cheryl: My friends told me all about Outrageous when I got back to New Zealand, especially when I was looking for the perfect handbag with compartments and they told me about Pascalle's Best Bag Ever - no kidding, if she hadn't invented it I would have. Everyone on Facebook calls me Cheryl already!
Louise's picks
* The Store on Kohi, 3 Averill Ave, ph 09 578 2503.
* Sebastian's Cafe and Catering, 62 Coates Ave, Orakei, ph 09 522 9299.
* Mamma Rosa Pizzeria and Restaurant, 31 Melanesia Rd, ph 09 528 9506.
* Outrageous Fortune: The Exhibition. With production company South Pacific Pictures, Auckland Museum gives a behind-the-scenes look at the Wests' world. Louise was one of the finalists in the Auckland Museum's I AM CHERYL competition. Adults $10, concession $8. Until May 1.
On Outrageous Saturdays between 11.30am and 1.30pm visitors can get a mini Cheryl-makeover - have their hair or nails done or a tattoo applied, and then get a photo taken.
outrageousfortune.aucklandmuseum.com/
