On a spring day in Auckland you're likely to get all the seasons in a couple of hours. Which made it the perfect place to trial the jacket I was planning to wear for a trip to England in autumn and a cruise round Borneo in the dry season.
What I had in mind was Kathmandu's Vortic Jacket, which is light and compact, making it great for packing - and quite stylish according to my wife, but I wasn't sure how it would cope with the English chill, the winds of the South China Sea or the odd shower.
I'm happy to report it was showerproof enough to cope with a brief Auckland downpour, windproof enough to survive the QEII Square wind tunnel and warm enough to survive that nasty southerly blast that sent snowflakes dancing over the City of Sails (though I did add a jersey later in the day).
Unzipped, it was also cool enough for a brisk walk on a nice sunny Auckland day, which makes it about as multi-purpose as you could hope for. And did I mention I looked quite stylish wearing it?
* The Vortic Jacket's basic price is $599.98.
